Igor almost becoming a Category 3 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. “Igor is expected to remain a dangerous hurricane as it approaches Bermuda,” the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said. While the center of the storm was not expected to reach the island until late Sunday, officials warned that adverse weather conditions will occur Saturday evening.
Bermuda residents stocked up on supplies and secured their homes. The rocky island, a tiny British overseas territory that is a hub for the global insurance industry, is one of the world’s most isolated yet densely populated islands. The Bermuda government warned residents to prepare for a similar impact from Igor as the island experienced from the 2003 Hurricane Fabian, which killed four people and caused millions of dollars of damage.
The Bermuda Weather Service has said the island could see 37 hours of powerful winds starting Sunday as Igor passes as close as 17 miles/(28 km) to the east. Hurricane expert Joe Bastardi with private U.S. forecaster AccuWeather said Bermuda should be prepared for a “several-day siege of damaging winds and waves.”
The hurricane center predicted total rainfall accumulations of 5 to 8 inches (12 to 20 cm) over Bermuda. It also said the dangerous storm will likely produce significant coastal flooding and large, destructive waves, particularly along the southern coast. East of Igor, Tropical Storm Julia posed no threat to land and its 60 mph/(95 kph) winds were expected to weaken.
In Mexico, the remnants of Hurricane Karl, now a tropical depression, continued to dissipate over the mountains of the state of Veracruz after killing two people in a mudslide Friday. Karl appeared to have spared Mexican oil operations from major damage after sweeping through the Bay of Campeche, where Mexico produces more than two-thirds of its 2.55 million barrels per day of crude output.
