October 15, 2016 - Hurricane Nicole (15L) over Bermuda

Hurricane Nicole (15L) over Bermuda

Hurricane Nicole bore down on Bermuda on the morning of October 13, 2016. The storm broke records as it stirred up the Atlantic Ocean for more than a week, growing to a Category-4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

As it neared the island, Nicole became the second Category 4 or 5 storm in the Atlantic Ocean this year—the first time on record that the Atlantic has had two Category 4 or 5 storms in October. Nicole became a tropical storm on October 4, circled the tropical Atlantic for several days, and then gained intensity as it approached Bermuda on October 12.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on October 13, 2016 at 15:20 UTC (11:20 a.m. EDT). At 15:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. EDT) that same day the National Hurricane Center reported that Nicole was located near 32.3 north and 64.6 west, accurate to within 20 nautical miles. St. George’s, Bermuda sits at 32.22 north and 64.40 west. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 120.8 mph (194 km/h) with gusts to 150 mph (241 km/h). The storm was moving to the northeast.

Early damage assessments of Hurricane Nicole’s impact on Bermuda includes downed power lines, significant flooding, and damaged structures. Additional reports will come forward in the next several days. The island rarely sees direct hits from major hurricanes. So far, only seven major hurricanes have passed within 40 nautical miles (46 miles or 74 kilometers) of Bermuda since records began in 1851, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As 5:00 p.m. EDT (2100 UTC) October 14, Nicole maintained hurricane status as it moved away from Bermuda. Maximum sustained winds were estimated near 75 mph (120 km/h) with higher gusts and hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 240 miles (390 km). The NHC reported that Nicole could strengthen slightly, but is likely to become post-tropical by October 15.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 10/13/2016
Resolutions: 1km (619.7 KB), 500m (2 MB), 250m (4.9 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC