The powerful category 4 hurricane Fiona is heading north strengthened on a path that is expected to bring it closer to the Bermuda archipelago on Thursday and the Canadian Atlantic on Friday, while a tropical wave maintains possibilities of becoming a storm.
The bulletin of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the United States at 8:00 am details that Fiona moves heading north at about 20 kilometers per hour (km/h) awaiting a turn to the north-northeast with an increase in speed during Thursday.
Fiona is currently at 735 kilometers southwest of Bermuda and approximately 1,950 kilometers southwest of Halifax, in the province of Nova Scotia, on Canada’s Atlantic coast.
On the NHC’s forecast track, the center of Fiona, the third Atlantic hurricane of 2020 and so far the only force majeure one, will approach Bermuda during late Thursday and Atlantic Canada on Friday night. .
The maximum sustained winds accompanying Fiona they approach 215 km/hwith larger bursts.
Fiona it is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, out of a total of 5 levels.
The NHC bulletin highlights that some strengthening is forecast tonight, with possible intensity fluctuations on Thursday, and that hurricane strength will last through Saturday.
Fiona will leave 2 to 4 inches of rain in Bermuda and 3 to 6 inches in Canada, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Western Newfoundland provinces, with a maximum of up to 10 inches.
A storm surge will cause high water levels along the Bermuda coast starting tomorrow, accompanied by large and dangerous waves.
Hurricane watches and tropical storm warnings are in effect for the Bermuda archipelago.
Meanwhile, a tropical wave has possibilities of become a storm in the center of the Caribbean Sea.
The wave is producing showers and thunderstorms on its way across the Atlantic a couple of hundred miles east of the southern Windward Islands, and is forecast to become a tropical depression in the next few days.
This disturbance is forecast to move west-northwestward across the southern Windward Islands today and then move into the central Caribbean Sea later this week.
As for the Gastón storm, it continues on its way to the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, maintaining its strength, although at the moment without danger for any territory.
"Some additional strengthening possible, but gradual weakening should start on Thursday"informed about Gastón the NHC.
5am EDT Thursday 22 Sep Key Messages for Hurricane #Fiona.
A Hurricane Warning has been issued for Bermuda and hurricane conditions are expected on the islands beginning tonight. Preparations should be rushed to completion. https://t.co/EG1Nt93aoU pic.twitter.com/M1wU6YMSXN
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 22, 2022