10-12 Nicole path 10 pm.jpg

Hurricane Nicole was tracking northeastward on Wednesday with winds up to 130 mph. The National Hurricane Center said Nicole would move near or over Bermuda on Thursday. (National Hurricane Center)

Hurricane Nicole strengthened to an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130 mph on Wednesday night and continued northward on a path that could take it to Bermuda's doorstep by tomorrow.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the island, where Nicole could make its presence felt starting tonight.

The National Hurricane Center noted Wednesday night the significance of Nicole's path toward Bermuda. "Note that while hurricanes often affect Bermuda, a hurricane this strong is rare," forecasters wrote in their 10 p.m. discussion. "There have only been seven major hurricanes that have passed within 40 (nautical miles) of Bermuda in the Atlantic hurricane database, which goes back to 1851."

As of the last advisory, at 10 p.m. CDT Wednesday, Hurricane Nicole was located about 180 miles south-southwest of Bermuda and was moving north-northeast at 12 mph, according to the hurricane center.

Hurricane Nicole had a large eye on Wednesday, and the entire storm had grown in size since Tuesday, according to reports from a reconnaissance aircraft. Bermuda is the pink speck north of the storm. (National Hurricane Center)

A reconnaissance mission found that Nicole's maximum sustained winds had climbed to 130 mph, making it a Category 4 hurricane.

Forecasters expected Nicole to turn more to the northeast and speed up by Thursday. On that path, the eye of Nicole will pass over or very close to Bermuda, the hurricane center said.

Bermuda could be battered even if Nicole doesn't make landfall: Hurricane force winds extend outward about 65 miles from Nicole's large eye, the hurricane center said. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 160 miles as well.

In addition to its 130 mph winds, Nicole could bring a "dangerous" storm surge of 6-8 feet and coastal flooding to Bermuda, forecasters said.

Four to 8 inches of rain will also be possible through Thursday.

The hurricane center said isolated tornadoes will also be a risk tonight and early Thursday.</s><img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/nicole-track.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/nicole-track.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/nicole-track.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

At a Glance Nicole was one of the longest lived Atlantic named storms of 2016.

Nicole was the strongest hurricane strike (Category 3) on Bermuda since Fabian in 2003. Nicole formed as a tropical storm south of Bermuda on Oct. 4, 2016.

It meandered in the same general area for several days and briefly became a Category 2 hurricane on Oct. 6. It then weakened to a tropical storm again on the following day.

By Oct. 10, Nicole began its crawl northward on a path that would take its center very close to Bermuda. It regained hurricane strength the following day on Oct. 11.

Nicole then rapidly strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane late Oct. 12 with maximum sustained winds increasing to 130 mph. It made its closest pass to Bermuda as Category 3 hurricane on Oct 13.

A last-hour eastward wobble appeared to spare Bermuda the eastern semicircle of Nicole, typically the location of a hurricane's strongest winds.

However, the northern, then western eyewall did not spare Bermuda, lashing the island with wind gusts over 100 mph in spots.

(LATEST NEWS: Nicole Rakes Bermuda )

Sustained winds topped 75 mph at Pearl Island and at L.F. Wade International Airport where peak gusts of 119 mph and 104 mph were measured, respectively on Oct. 13.

In fact, the eye of Nicole moved over Bermuda midday Oct. 13 before moving away later in the day.

No other center of a Category 3 or stronger hurricane had tracked as close to Bermuda (officially, it did not "make landfall", according to the National Hurricane Center) as Nicole's center did since an Oct. 22, 1926 hurricane. (Hurricane Fabian's eastern eyewall struck Bermuda in 2003, but its center remained about 14 miles west of Bermuda at its closest approach.)

In a true "weather geek" moment, the Bermuda Weather Service launched a weather balloon in the eye , something they also did during Hurricane Gonzalo in October 2014.

They described the "suspended salt spray", with a "small of ripped vegetation hanging in the heavy, hot air" .

Prior to Nicole's direct hit on Bermuda, its large eye, approximately 50 miles wide at one time, was much larger than the width of Bermuda.

(MORE: Hurricane Central )

Hurricanes of this intensity passing near Bermuda are exceedingly rare. Only 12 Category 3 hurricanes have tracked within 75 miles of Bermuda since 1899.

Only four October hurricanes have tracked within 50 miles of Bermuda dating back to 1950 , according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, tropical scientist at Colorado State University.

After impacting Bermuda, Nicole moved across the north Atlantic Ocean for several days. It was finally declared post-tropical by the National Hurricane Center early on Oct. 18.

Nicole was the longest lived Atlantic named storm to form after Oct. 1 since 1906 , according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a tropical scientist at the Colorado State University.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Images of Hurricane Eyes</s>By: Jeff Masters and Bob Henson , 2:03 PM GMT on October 13, 2016 From Weather Undeground

Category 3 Hurricane Nicole is pounding Bermuda after putting on an impressive round of rapid intensification that saw the hurricane top out as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds early Thursday morning. At 10 am EDT (11 am ADT) Thursday, satellite imagery and radar from the Bermuda Weather Service showed that the western edge of Nicole’s large roughly 40-mile diameter eye was poised to move over the eastern end of the island by 11 am EDT. The northern eyewall of Nicole is the strongest part of the storm, and Bermuda began taking a wicked pounding from this powerful northern eyewall beginning around 9 am EDT. The Bermuda airport is located on the east end of the island, and at 9:55 am EDT measured sustained winds of 77 mph (10-minute average), gusting to 104 mph. An Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft is in Nicole, and at 9:30 am EDT found top surface winds in the northern eyewall of 102 mph. The plane did not sample the most intense part of the northern eyewall, though, and Bermuda is likely to experience higher winds than that. High wind shear is attacking Nicole and will weaken the storm today, but probably too late to provide much relief to Bermuda.

 Figure 1. Hurricane Nicole as seen by the Bermuda radar at 9:44 am EDT October 13, 2016, when the northern eyewall was battering the island. Bermuda (under the white cross) was about to enter the eye. Image credit: Bermuda Weather Service.

Wind and storm surge damage the main threats

 The main threat from Nicole is wind damage, as the island has rarely experienced the winds from a Category 3 hurricane. Storm surge is also a concern, as Nicole is expected to drive a storm surge of 6 – 8 feet to Bermuda. Fortunately, this surge will be arriving as the tide is going out. High tide was at 6:36 am (ADT) this morning, and low tide will be at 12:48 pm (ADT) this afternoon. The difference between low tide and high tide is about three feet, so the island would have had about an extra two feet of inundation had Nicole hit at high tide. See the Bermuda Esso Pier, St. Georges, Bermuda Tide Chart (thanks to WU member SPShaw for this link.)

 Figure 2. Latest satellite image of Nicole.

Another missed rapid intensity forecast

 Nicole put on its rapid intensification burst as it passed over the near-record-warm waters of the subtropical North Atlantic, with sea-surface temperatures of 29°C (84°F)— roughly 2°C above average. Given the warm waters and light wind shear the storm had, rapid intensification was not a big surprise, but Nicole’s rapid intensification from a tropical storm on Tuesday morning to a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday night was not anticipated by our top three intensity models—the HWRF, SHIPS and LGEM. The Tuesday morning runs of these models all predicted that Nicole would be a Category 1 hurricane at the time of its closest approach to Bermuda on Thursday morning. NHC did go higher in their Tuesday morning intensity forecast, calling for Nicole to be a Category 2 storm by Thursday morning, but their intensity forecast fell far short of predicting the actual rapid intensification that occurred. A similar situation occurred for Hurricane’s Matthew’s rapid intensification from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean, which was poorly forecasted by the intensity models and NHC. Hurricane intensity forecasting still has a long ways to go, unfortunately.

A rarity for Bermuda

 It’s not every day that Bermuda sees a hurricane, and it’s even more uncommon for a major hurricane to target the island directly. In a local survey going back to 1609, the Bermuda Weather Service found that tropical cyclone damage was recorded about once every 6 to 7 years. From 1900 to 2007, the only direct hits cited by the agency were the Havana-Bermuda Hurricane of 1926, the Miami Hurricane of 1948, and Hurricane Arlene (1963). Of course, a hurricane can cause havoc while passing just west or east of the island as well. According to Phil Klotzbach (Colorado State University), only one Category 4 hurricane is known to have tracked within 50 miles of Bermuda in records going back to 1851: Hurricane 5, on October 16, 1939. Nicole will fall just short of reaching that milestone, at least in the initial analysis, as it was downgraded from Category 4 to Category 3 at 7:00 am EDT Thursday while located about 55 miles southwest of Bermuda.

In the big picture of Atlantic hurricane seasons, Nicole is also a standout. It follows Hurricane Matthew, which attained Category 5 strength on October 1. Never before has the Atlantic recorded two storms of at least Category 4 strength in October, according to Klotzbach (again, in records going back to 1851). Nicole attained its Category 4 strength at 30.1°N, making it the latest Atlantic storm in the season to exhibit Category 4 strength that far north since Hazel (1954), which was a Cat 4 at 30.2°N.

Keep an eye on the Southwest Caribbean next week

 A broad area low pressure is expected to form in the waters of the Southwest Caribbean off the coast of Nicaragua early next week. The computer models have been very inconsistent in their predictions on the potential timing and location of any tropical storm development that may occur in this region, but we will have to keep an eye on it.

 Figure 3. This image from the 06Z Thursday run of the GFS model shows winds exceeding 52 mph (60 mph) approaching the western Washington coast late Saturday in association with a 963 millibar low that forms from the remnants of Typhoon Songda. Image credit: tropicaltidbits.com.

Pacific Northwest bracing for the remnants of Typhoon Songda

 Another high-latitude anomaly of the tropical type will make its presence felt in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and far southwest Canada this weekend. Typhoon Songda reached its peak intensity on Tuesday at an unusually far northerly latitude: 30.3°N in the Northwest Pacific, where it briefly became a super typhoon with top sustained winds of 150 mph. No longer classified as a tropical cyclone, Songda remained a powerful storm in the North Pacific on Thursday morning, whipping eastward through the North Pacific near the International Date Line just north of 40°N with a central pressure of 996 millibars. Songda will be incorporated in a train of storms heading into the Pacific Northwest, and models agree that it will deepen at least into the 960 – 970 mb range as it approaches the Olympic Peninsula of Washington (or perhaps a bit further south, if the ECMWF model proves correct]. This is a classic set-up for very heavy rain and damaging winds across western Oregon and Washington, including the Seattle area. High wind warnings are already in effect from tonight to Friday for western Oregon and Washington, where gusts may reach 75 mph along the Oregon coast, 60 mph along the Washington coast, and 55 mph in the Seattle area. Even stronger winds are liable to materialize late Saturday and/or Sunday as the remnants of Songda approach. We’ll have more details on this potential major event on Friday.

For more on this story go to: https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3479</s>By: Bob Henson and Jeff Masters , 5:02 PM GMT on October 12, 2016 From Weather Underground

Flexing its muscle in the Northwest Atlantic, Hurricane Nicole could make a direct hit on Bermuda on Thursday. As of the 11 am EDT advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Nicole’s top sustained winds were up to 100 mph, making it a Category 2 storm. Nicole was located 295 miles south-southwest of Bermuda and moving north at 7 mph, but it is expected to accelerate toward the north and northeast tonight and Thursday, bringing it over or very near the island around midday. A Hurricane Warning is in effect, with 3” – 6” of rain, hurricane-force winds, huge surf, and coastal flooding all possible.

Figure 1. Visible satellite image of Hurricane Nicole as of 1437Z (10:37 am EDT) Wednesday, October 12, 2016. Bermuda is visible as the black speck at center top. Image credit: NASA/MSFC Earth Science Office.

Nicole weakened from Category 2 to tropical storm strength over the weekend amid strong wind shear, but the shear had relaxed to less than 10 knots by Tuesday. The light shear and a modestly moist atmosphere (mid-level relative humidity around 50 – 55%) allowed for Nicole to regroup. The hurricane is also traveling over near-record-warm waters of around 28 – 29°C (82 – 84°F), which is about 1.5 – 2.0°C above average for mid-October. After it strafes Bermuda, Nicole will continue plowing into the North Atlantic, becoming a somewhat weaker but very large hurricane by Friday and Saturday before it transitions into a post-tropical cyclone.

Nicole gives Bermuda its fourth hurricane warning in three years

 For being a small island in a big ocean, Bermuda has had an inordinate amount of bad luck with hurricanes over the past three years. Nicole is the fourth storm in the past three years to put the island under a Hurricane Warning. Last year, Hurricane Joaquin passed about 65 miles west-northwest of Bermuda on October 5 as a Category 2 storm. Joaquin brought sustained winds of tropical storm force to Bermuda, and caused power outages to 15,000 of the island’s 36,000 customers. Damage was minor, though.

In 2014, two hurricanes hammered the island within a week in a damaging one-two punch. The first was Hurricane Fay, which hit Bermuda on October 12 as a Category 1 hurricane with 80 mph winds, doing at least $10 million in damage. Just six days later, on October 18, a far worse storm made another direct hit on Bermuda–Hurricane Gonzalo, which made landfall as a strong Category 2 storm with 110 mph winds. Winds at the Bermuda Airport peaked at 76 mph, with a gust to 96 mph, as the northern eyewall of Gonzalo passed overhead. After a calm lasting about an hour, when the pressure sank to 953 mb, the southern eyewall hit, with stronger winds than the northern eyewall–93 mph, gusting to 113 mph. An unofficial gust of 144 mph was recorded at Commissioners Point at an elevation of 262′, a site notorious for recording strong winds due to local terrain effects. The hurricane did an estimated $200 – $400 million in damage to Bermuda, making it the second costliest storm in their history. The costliest was Category 3 Hurricane Fabian of 2003, the only hurricane to get its name retired exclusively because of its impact on the island of Bermuda. Fabian’s storm surge destroyed the causeway connecting the airport to the rest of the island and did $300 million in damage. Fabian also killed four people–the only hurricane deaths ever recorded on Bermuda.

While a direct hit on Bermuda is unusual, many hurricanes and tropical storms get close enough to cause trouble. In a local survey going back to 1609, the Bermuda Weather Service found that tropical cyclone damage was recorded about once every 6 to 7 years. From 1900 to 2007, the only direct hits cited by the agency were the Havana-Bermuda Hurricane of 1926, the Miami Hurricane of 1948, and Hurricane Arlene (1963). As with Fabian, a storm passing just west of the island need not be a direct hit to produce severe damage.

 Figure 2. Hurricane Gonzalo as seen from the International Space Station on October 16, 2014. Image credit: Alexander Gerst.

 Figure 3. Gonzalo as seen by the Bermuda radar at 9:43 pm ADT October 17, 2014, when the eye was over the island. Image credit: Bermuda Weather Service.

Figure 4. In hard-hit Lumberton, NC, on Wednesday, October 12, 2016, people look out towards West 5th Street, still covered by floodwaters caused by rain from Hurricane Matthew. Image credit: AP Photo/Mike Spencer.

From the Carolinas to Canada, Matthew-related woes continue to mount

 Extensive and severe flooding continues to afflict parts of North Carolina near rain-swollen rivers in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. Thousands of people are still being evacuated, according to weather.com, including about 9000 people forced out of the Greenville area on Tuesday. At least 19 deaths have been confirmed across the state, and power remained out for more than 140,000 customers as of Wednesday morning. The Neuse and Tar river basins are two of the areas where rivers are still rising. As of Wednesday morning, the Neuse River at Kinston, NC, was predicted to crest on Friday near or just above the record set in 1999 by Hurricane Floyd. On Tuesday, the Neuse’s flood crest broke a Floyd-era record by nearly a foot at Goldsboro.

Matthew’s indirect effects have made it all the way to the Canadian Maritimes. Moisture from Matthew’s remnants was pulled northward ahead of an existing frontal system near the U.S. East Coast, then fed into an intensifying storm that deluged eastern Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Some 50,000 Nova Scotia customers lost power on Tuesday, and thousands of basements were reportedly flooded. According to Nova Scotia meteorologist Jim Abraham, a preliminary one-day total rainfall of 225 mm (8.86”) reported in Sydney, the province’s second-largest city, is nearly double the city’s all-time one-day record of 129 mm set on August 17, 1981. Drone footage captured the extent of flooding on Tuesday. (Thanks to Chris Fogarty, Environment Canada, for background on this event.)

 Figure 5. Typhoon Songda as captured by NASA’s Aqua satellite at 0305Z Wednesday, October 12, 2016 (11:05 pm EDT Tuesday). Image credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team.

Remnants of Typhoon Songda will be heading for Pacific Northwest

 The next tropical cyclone to affect the United States will hit the opposite side of the country from Matthew. Now accelerating to the northeast across the remote North Pacific, Typhoon Songda will contribute to a very soggy and stormy few days across the U.S. Pacific Northwest and southwest Canada. Songda was still packing top sustained winds of 120 mph as of 06Z (2:00 am EDT) Wednesday, after briefly reaching super-typhoon strength Tuesday at an unusually high latitude–30.3°N–with peak winds of 150 mph. Songda will hitch a ride on a fast-moving segment of the jet stream and slam into the North American coast over the weekend. In his California Weather Blog, Daniel Swain notes that some recurving typhoons transition into post-tropical cyclones and strike the U.S. West Coast as identifiable storms, while others are absorbed into the jet stream and existing frontal systems. “It appeared that Songda will do a little of both–strengthening the overall storm track and persisting as a powerful remnant surface low as it treks eastward across the Pacific,” Swain wrote.

Widespread rainfall amounts of 4” to 10” associated with the remnants of Songda will extend from British Columbia to northern California. Songda is just part of a series of storms that will drench the region over the next week. All told, some locations between the shoreline and the coastal mountains could receive 15” to 25” of rain. Very little of the heavy rain will extend south of the San Francisco area, but this isn’t too surprising given that we’re just at the start of the wet season.We’ll be back with another post this afternoon on the U.S. climate roundup for September.

For more on this story go to: https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3477</s>MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Nicole is heading toward Bermuda as a Category 2 storm.

Nicole’s maximum sustained winds increased early Wednesday to near 100 mph (155 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says some strengthening is possible and Nicole could be near major hurricane strength later in the day.

The storm is centered about 330 miles (535 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda, where a hurricane warning is in effect, and is moving north-northwest near 7 mph (11 kph).</s>Nicole's core was forecast to move very near or over Bermuda Thursday afternoon, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said. It's not expected to threaten the United States.

"A turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected later today," the hurricane center said.

Nicole attained Category 4 status Wednesday night but weakened to a Category 3 storm Thursday, the hurricane center said.

Hurricane warnings are in effect for Bermuda. A storm surge will raise water levels by 6 to 8 feet above normal tides and 5 to 8 inches of rain are expected to fall over the island through Thursday evening, the NHC said.</s>Up to 20cm of rain is expected. Nicole has already disrupted the next US cargo supply trip to the International Space Station.Initially set for today, the launch has now been delayed until Sunday, Nasa officials said.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS - Hurricane Nicole barreled towards Bermuda yesterday as a Category 2 storm, just days after Hurricane Matthew killed hundreds in the Caribbean, mostly in Haiti.With 155km/h winds, Nicole was520km southwest of Bermuda at noon. The storm was heading north west at about 11km/h in the Atlantic, and was expected on or near the British island territory within the next 24 hours.“Hurricane conditions are expected to begin on Bermuda on Thursday morning [today]. A dangerous storm surge is expected to produce coastal flooding.Near the coast, this will be accompanied by large and destructive winds,” the National Hurricane Centre said.</s>HAMILTON, Bermuda — Doors and windows began to rattle across Bermuda early Thursday as Hurricane Nicole approached the British territory as an extremely dangerous Category 3 hurricane.

The storm was located about 55 miles south-southwest of Bermuda Thursday morning. It had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph and was moving north-northeast at 15 mph.

Nicole is expected to pass just a couple of miles east of Bermuda late Thursday morning, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Initially, the eye of the hurricane, which at one point was bigger than Bermuda itself, was supposed to go directly over the island, said James Dodgson, deputy director at the Bermuda Weather Service.

"We were hopeful that it would come across so we could at least get a break," he said in a phone interview.

Instead, Bermuda will now be hit for a longer period of time by winds west of the Nicole's eye, he added.

The hurricane had strengthened to a Category 4 storm late Wednesday but lost some steam overnight. However, forecasters warned that it was still extremely dangerous.

"While hurricanes often affect Bermuda, a hurricane this strong is rare," the National Hurricane Center said.

Power outages were reported on Thursday as at least one transformer exploded in Bermuda, which has sturdy infrastructure and is accustomed to storms.

The government had closed schools and government offices on Wednesday as businesses boarded up.

"I'm comfortable with the resources we have in hand to deal with this storm," Premier Michael Dunkley said. "I have every faith that the people of Bermuda will rally together after the storm."

Hundreds of people had rushed to shops and gas stations for last-minute preparations as rain and wind began to batter Bermuda on Wednesday.

Those at home made last-minute preparations for what lay ahead, with resident Danni Joell saying she was "cooking up a storm" in the kitchen with her son, Tyler.

"So far we've made an apple pie, and there are some cookies in the oven," she said. "Hopefully we will have enough to gets us through."

American Airlines and Air Canada are among several carriers that have canceled flights to the island, and several cruise ships have canceled trips as well.

Associated Press reporter Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report.</s>Doors and windows began to rattle across Bermuda early Thursday as Hurricane Nicole approached the British territory as an extremely dangerous Category 3 hurricane.

The storm was located about 55 miles (85 kilometres) south-southwest of Bermuda Thursday morning. It had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 15 mph (24 kph).

Nicole is expected to pass just a couple of miles east of Bermuda late Thursday morning, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The hurricane had strengthened to a Category 4 storm late Wednesday but lost some steam overnight. However, forecasters warned that it was still an extremely dangerous storm.

“While hurricanes often affect Bermuda, a hurricane this strong is rare,” the National Hurricane Center said.

Power outages were reported on Thursday as at least one transformer exploded in Bermuda, which has sturdy infrastructure and is accustomed to storms.

The government had closed schools and government offices on Wednesday as businesses boarded up.

“I’m comfortable with the resources we have in hand to deal with this storm,” Premier Michael Dunkley said. “I have every faith that the people of Bermuda will rally together after the storm.”

Hundreds of people had rushed to shops and gas stations for last-minute preparations as rain and wind began to batter Bermuda on Wednesday.

Those at home made last-minute preparations for what lay ahead, with resident Danni Joell saying she was “cooking up a storm” in the kitchen with her son, Tyler.

“So far we’ve made an apple pie, and there are some cookies in the oven,” she said. “Hopefully we will have enough to gets us through.”

American Airlines and Air Canada are among several carriers that have cancelled flights to the island, and several cruise ships have cancelled trips as well.</s>Are you affected by Hurricane Nicole? If it is safe for you to do so, contact us on WhatsApp at +44 7435 939 154 to share your photos, experiences and video. Please tag #CNNiReport in your message.

The storm hit Bermuda with plenty of wind and rain but never officially made landfall, said CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward.

"Bermuda did get into the eye," he explained, "but when it involves an island, the center of the eye must go over the island."

At 2 p.m. ET Thursday, Nicole was about 90 miles northeast of Bermuda and moving away at 18 mph in a northeasterly direction, the National Hurricane Center reported. It had winds of about 115 mph.

The storm is not expected to threaten the United States. "Gradual weakening is forecast during the next couple of days," the hurricane center said.

Earlier in the day, Bobbi Singh tweeted that few people could be seen on the streets of the capital. "Downtown Hamilton #Bermuda. Ghost town as incredibly dangerous #HurricaneNicole approaches," she said. Nicole attained Category 4 status Wednesday night but later weakened to a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , the center said. A storm surge was expected to raise water levels by 6 to 8 feet above normal tides, and 5 to 8 inches of rain are expected to fall over the island through Thursday evening, the hurricane center said. Nick Warren of Boston and his wife, Nicole, told CNN they were spending the week at Tucker's Point 5 resort when the storm hit. He said the weather changed from fierce storm to calm in a matter of about 15 minutes, apparently when the eye of the storm passed over, then picked up again.
Hurricane Nicole impacts Bermuda at Category 3 strength, making it the strongest hurricane to effect the British Overseas Territory since Hurricane Fabian in 2003.