Nicole and other Significant Bermuda Hurricanes

The Eye of Hurricane Nicole Crossing Bermuda (10/13/2016)  Source: Bermuda Weather Service

As of 11 AM this morning, Nicole was a major Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph as its eye crossed over Bermuda.   Dr. Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University pointed out that only one hurricane tracked within 50 miles of Bermuda stronger than Nicole. That was an unnamed Category 4 hurricane in 1939.  Although landfalling hurricanes are rare in Bermuda, they often experience the fringe effects of tropical systems because they’re large systems hundreds of miles in diameter.  Several significant hurricanes have occurred in Bermuda dating back to 1851.

Gonzalo (2014):  On the one hand Bermuda residents were lucky that Gonzalo weakened from its peak Category 4 intensity to a strong Category 2 storm before it made landfall.  However, Gonzalo came less than a week after Hurricane Fay caused widespread power outages on the island.  Gonzalo was a stronger storm than Fay when it crossed Bermuda on October 18 and brought hurricane force winds for approximately six hours.  Gonzalo was Bermuda’s most damaging hurricane since Fabian in 2003.

Fabian (2003):  Like Gonzalo, Fabian was also a Category 4 hurricane at peak intensity on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.  Fabian weakened to Category 3 intensity with sustained winds of 120 mph before it made landfall in Bermuda on September 5.  Despite weakening, was Bermuda’s costliest hurricane on record with an estimated $300 million in damages (unadjusted for inflation).  Fabian was also the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Bermuda since Arlene in 1963.

Grace (1991):  At peak intensity on October 29 Grace was a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 mph.  Tropical storm warnings were in effect as Grace tracked close enough to Bermuda to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to the island.  However, its center remain far enough south of Bermuda to prevent any significant impacts.  Some may recall that Hurricane Grace was one of the key elements that contributed to “The Perfect Storm” of late October and early November 1991.

“Ten” (1926):  Before tropical storms and hurricanes were named, they were just issued numbers.  During the 1926 Atlantic hurricane season, the 10^th tropical system of the season became a powerful Category 4 hurricane at peak intensity that impacted parts of the Caribbean and south Florida.  It weakened to Category 3 intensity before it made landfall in Bermuda on October 22.  This storm had major impacts over a wide area and remains one of the most intense hurricanes to make landfall in Bermuda.

Hurricane Nicole has become one of only a handful of major hurricanes to make landfall in Bermuda and could threaten Fabian as being Bermuda’s most destructive hurricane.  The National Hurricane Center as well as my colleagues and I on the WUSA9 weather team will keep you posted.