Bermuda is under a hurricane warning as Hurricane Gonzalo inches closer and closer to to the island territory with Category 4 winds, the strongest the Atlantic Basin has seen in four years.
Gonzalo's winds reached 145 mph Thursday before falling to 140 mph. To compare, a hurricane reaches Category 5 status its winds are 156 mph or higher.
Conditions are expected to deteriorate in Bermuda starting Thursday night. Residents have been repairing homes and clearing trees and power lines knocked down days earlier by Tropical Storm Fay.
More than 1,000 homes remained without power Wednesday and homeowners worked to repair damaged roofs. The government called 200 members of the Bermuda Regiment to help with cleanup efforts on the island of roughly 65,000 people.
Bermuda, some 850 miles east of South Carolina, has one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world, and its strict building codes make structures particularly capable of withstanding storms.
Gonzalo is the first Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin since 2011, when Hurricane Ophelia reached maximum winds of 140 mph.
Hurricane Gonzalo Advisory
11 p.m. — Gonzalo moving faster to the north-northeast toward Bermuda. Likely to bring damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge on Friday.
Watches and Warnings
Changes with this advisory:
None
Summary of watches and warnings in effect:
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:
*Bermuda
A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion today.
Discussion and 48-hour outlook
At 11 p.m., the eye of Hurricane Gonzalo was located near latitude 28.0 north, longitude 67.5 west.
Gonzalo is moving toward the north-northeast near 14 mph. A continued north-northeastward motion with an increase in forward speed is expected through Saturday.
On the forecast track, the eye of Gonzalo will be near Bermuda Friday afternoon and Friday night.
Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph, with higher gusts. Gonzalo is a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.
Slow weakening is forecast on Friday, but Gonzalo is expected to be a dangerous hurricane when it moves near Bermuda. Steady weakening
should begin by late Friday.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 943 mb, or 27.85 inches, based on the last report from an earlier NOAA hurricane hunter mission.
Hazards affecting land
Wind: Hurricane conditions are expected to reach Bermuda on Friday, with tropical storm conditions beginning late tonight or early Friday morning. It should be noted that wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of hilly terrain are often up to 30 percent stronger than at the surface and in some elevated locations can be even greater.
Storm Surge: A dangerous and life-threatening storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding in Bermuda. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.
Rainfall: Gonzalo is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 6 inches over Bermuda.
Surf: Large swells generated by Gonzalo are affecting portions of the Virgin Islands, the northern coasts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and portions of the Bahamas. Swells will reach much of the East Coast of the United States and Bermuda today. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Next advisory
Complete advisory: 5 a.m.