BWS: hazardous conditions to develop rapidly this evening
Hurricane Melissa is expected to pass the island about 129 miles to the northwest at 1am tomorrow, the latest information from the Bermuda Weather Service showed.
The system is expected to be a Category 2 hurricane at that time.
In its midday update, the BWS said that Melissa had maximum sustained winds of about 104mph with gusts up to 127mph.
At that time, the storm was almost 516 miles southwest of Bermuda moving north-northeast at 24mph.
The BWS said in its latest forecast discussion that a hurricane warning remains in effect for Bermuda and a tropical update showed that Melissa was expected to gradually weaken as it races away to the distant north of the island tomorrow.
It added: “All storm preparations should be complete by this afternoon with hazardous conditions rapidly developing during the evening and into the overnight period.
“Showers associated with the outer bands of the storm move into the area this afternoon, becoming occasionally scattered with the risk of isolated thunder developing.
“Along with dangerous winds, the potential for funnel clouds and heavy thunder increases overnight.”
Skyport said that LF Wade International Airport will close at 6pm today and is expected to reopen tomorrow, pending a midday assessment.
A government spokeswoman added: “The public will be advised accordingly of the airport's reopening and travellers are encouraged to check with their respective airlines regarding any planned travel.”
In a revision to announcements made yesterday, the shelter at CedarBridge Academy will open at 7pm today, not 6pm as earlier stated.
• Causeway: the Causeway will close at 10pm today and be assessed tomorrow morning, after which an announcement about its reopening will be made
• South Shore Road at Watch Hill Park: the section of road will close at 9pm
• Schools: all public and private schools will be closed tomorrow
• Government offices: operating as usual today, but will be closed until 1pm tomorrow
• Buses: the last bus will be at 7pm today and will resume on Friday after an assessment of main roads
• Ferry service today: the Orange Route to St George’s is cancelled, while the Blue Route to Dockyard will be suspended after 4pm. The Green and Pink routes will run as scheduled
• Ferry service tomorrow: all routes cancelled until further notice. Service will resume when weather conditions improves
• The Lamb Foggo Clinic: will be open at 9pm this evening and will remain open until further notice
• Government Shelter at CedarBridge: will open at 7pm today
• Trash collection: proceeds as normal today. Collections usually made on Friday will be postponed to Saturday
• Emergency broadcast station, 100.1FM: will be operational this evening
The National Hurricane Centre said at 11am that little change in the storm’s strength is expected today and a weakening trend is likely to begin tomorrow.
It said tropical storm conditions will affect Bermuda late this afternoon, with hurricane conditions expected on the island tonight.
The NHC said the outer bands of the storm may bring an inch of rain through tonight.
Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions were also forecast.
The City of Hamilton urged businesses and residents to finalise storm preparations and provided information about changes to services.
It asked that trash was placed out only at designated collection times:
• All City businesses must place their garbage out by 5pm today. No garbage should be set out after that
• There will be no residential garbage collection on Friday. The next residential garbage pick-up will take place on Saturday
• Business and restaurant collections in the City are expected to resume on Friday afternoon, once conditions are deemed safe
• All waste should be placed securely inside bins, not loose bags, to prevent debris from blowing around
• Bins should be secured during storm conditions and brought in from the sidewalk
For City operations, residents and businesses were advised:
• City offices at City Hall and the works depot on Laffan Street will be closed on Friday morning but will reopen at 1pm, in alignment with government operations
• City parks, car parks and public bathrooms will remain open until conditions require closure
The City asked all businesses and residents to secure outdoor items, including wheelie bins, signs, planters and loose furniture, which could become projectiles in strong winds.
Michael Weeks, the Minister of National Security, said yesterday: “I realise that this has been a busy hurricane season for us and that our resilience has been tested.
“However, I implore all residents to remain vigilant while we navigate another natural threat to our way of life.
“We are renowned for our ability to cope with such adversity and I am confident that we shall all play our part to keep ourselves and each other safe over the next few days.”
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