10am Today: Hurricane Katia’s Closest Approach
Hurricane Katia’s closest point of approach to Bermuda has just passed, with the Bermuda Weather Service [BWS] saying it was “forecast to make its closest point of approach around 10am today at about 270 nm to our west. Occasional showers and a risk of thunder will continue, with strong winds and gusts to gale force through Friday morning.”
“Winds and showers will ease Friday as Katia moves away east to our distant north. Dangerous swells and rip currents will continue to affect South Shore today.”
Yesterday the BWS issued a Tropical Storm Watch, and Government issued an advisory saying the St. George’s ferry has been suspended until further notice, lifeguards at Horseshoe Bay erected the red flag signaling that no one is to enter the water due to “extremely dangerous” swells and rip currents and that the Ministry of Public Works said monitor the causeway.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said that Katia is carrying maximum sustained winds of 90mph, and is classified as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm total in the Atlantic tripled yesterday, as Tropical Storms Maria and Nate formed behind Katia.
Just close the causeway, I don’t think anyone would really mind
It is 6.16 pm now and the wind is exactly out of the south. That means the storm is pretty well west of us now. At 10 am this morning the wind was south east meaning the storm was absolutely not west of us. It was south west. These weather guys should look out the window once in a while.