Storm Watch

Here we go again. Last year the biggest storm to threaten Bermuda was Hurricane Bill, which as most of you know by now passed the island by with barely a whisper. This year however we’ve seen a parade of tropical depressions, storms and hurricanes march through the alphabet and onto Bermuda’s doorstep: Alex and Bonnie graciously stayed away but Colin, Danielle and Earl have all threatened serious damage with Fiona and Gaston currently in our sites. The latest report from the National Hurricane Center has Tropical Storm Fiona passing directly over Bermuda sometime late tonight or early Saturday morning (see projected path above). Not quite a hurricane, Fiona is expected to bring heavy winds and rain but with hope should spare much of the island. And luckily for Bermuda, Gaston has already been downgraded to a tropical depression, which really just means conditions will be as good as they get for surfers hoping to catch a few waves at Horseshoe Bay. Be sure to tune in on Monday to see how it all turned out—in the meantime, I'm headed to the beach. Surf's up!

Storm Watch: UPDATE

This latest image comes from RMS Cat updates, which tracks potential catastrophes including natural hazards, terrorism and mortality risk, among others. According to its recent report, Tropical Storm Colin has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, which are expected to reach 70 mph when the system nears Bermuda on Saturday. (Click it for a larger image. That thick white cloud in the middle is the storm. Bermuda is the tiny speck in its path). Flying to Bermuda this weekend? Travelers on U.S. Airways can change their itineraries without penalty and Continental just announced a similar policy that will waive change fees for island-bound passengers this weekend. No word yet from Delta or JetBlue, although travelers on low-cost carrier WestJet should have nothing to worry about: The Canadian airline unveiled a Tropical Storm Colin travel advisory earlier today and its Hurricane Promise automatically waives change fees if travelers rebook their itinerary within fourteen days. The skies are now clear, but isn't there some sort of cliché about a calm before the storm? Batten down the hatches Bermuda, I think it's time for Dark n Stormy's!

Storm Watch

Here we go again. Last year Hurricane Bill threatened to punish Bermuda with high seas and 135 mph winds. Remember that? I even shot this crazy Al Roker-esque video from Church Bay, with strong winds whipping around the camera and gnarly waves crashing steadily upon the shore. It all looked pretty grim for awhile. I went to Gorhams—our local Home Depot-type hardware store—and stocked up on everything I was told I'd need: Batteries, water, rope, flashlights (even though I already had four). And while everyone here on the island hunkered down for a direct hit the Category 4 storm spared us and passed to the west, with the bulk of damage being trashed beaches and hysterically, this doormat (no not really, but it was one of the most humorous pictures being circulated around Bermuda the day after the storm). Well, consider this the first official scare of 2010. According to the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Colin has reformed and is making its way up the Atlantic—and it's got Bermuda in it sights. With maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, the storm was 400 miles south-southwest of the island heading north-northwest at 11 miles per hour at 8:45 a.m. Atlantic Time this morning. On the current forecasted track, Colin should pass within 86 miles of Bermuda at its closest point at about 11 p.m. tomorrow, with storm force winds extended up to 105 miles from its center (for the latest visit the Bermuda Weather Service). Who knows what'll happen but there's one thing I'm certain of: I definitely have enough flashlights.

Storm Watch

As Snowpocalypse continues to blanket the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast with the white stuff, the big news in Bermuda is a weather pattern of a different sort—wind and lots of it. Yesterday island residents received an alert from the Bermuda Weather Service advising of “severe and unsettled weather conditions” that will include “wind gusts of over 50 knots and storm force winds gusting to hurricane force until around midday on Thursday.” The agency also warned cyclists to use “extreme caution” when moving about the island. Ya know, in case they get blown over. If the howling winds that kept me from sleeping last night are any indication, then the good folks at the Bermuda Weather Service were spot on. Boy is it blowin’ outside. Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone and stay in my home office while watching white caps curl on the Great Sound this morning. Nope. Instead, I took a little adventure down to Church Bay. You remember Church Bay, don’t you? When I was tracking Hurricane Bill last summer I filmed this Al Roker-esque video live from the beach. The waves were crashing pretty hard then too, but today gives that August afternoon a serious run for its money. Even better, I got to see a rainbow just as the storm approached (see above). Wanna see what 50 knots of wind looks (and sounds) like? Then check out this short video I shot this morning. And you thought your weather was bad.