Bermuda braces for Hurricane Imelda’s close approach
Bermuda is bracing for hurricane conditions and continued severe weather as Hurricane Imelda makes its way towards the island on October 1, 2025. Imelda and Humberto have claimed at least three lives so far as they continue to produce deadly rip currents and severe weather to Bermuda, the Bahamas, and much of the U.S. East Coast.
Homes destroyed on the Outer banks of Buxton, North Carolina dut Hurricane Humberto and Hurricane Imelda on September 30, 2025. Credit: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
- Hurricane Imelda is expected to bring damaging hurricane-force winds when it passes near or over Bermuda late this afternoon or evening. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the island.
- Large and damaging waves are expected, along with heavy rainfall that could cause flash flooding across Bermuda later today into Thursday.
- Swells and high surf from both Humberto and Imelda are expected to produce dangerous marine conditions and rip currents along much of the East Coast of the United States during the next several days.
At least five homes were destroyed by dangerous coastal flooding in Buxton, North Carolina, on September 30, due to the influence of hurricanes Humberto and Imelda in the Atlantic.
The five unoccupied homes on the Outer Banks of Buxton collapsed between 14:00 and 14:45 local time (LT) on September 30, Cape Hatteras National Seashore said on Facebook.
The entire beachfront, from northern Buxton through off-road vehicle (ORV) ramp 43, was closed for public safety.
Meanwhile, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) closed the NC12 on the north end of Ocracoke Island after the arrival of the last ferry from Hatteras at around 14:15 LT on September 30. Increasing ocean overwash made the highway hazardous for motorists, prompting the closure, which will remain in effect till at least October 2.
Humberto has already been affecting much of the U.S. East Coast with dangerous rip currents and surf since the weekend. Rip currents associated with the interactions between Imelda and Humberto have already claimed one life in Florida.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall associated with Imelda killed two people in Cuba before it strengthened into a hurricane on September 30.
While the outer bands of Humberto have already been hitting Bermuda with hurricane-force winds and severe weather, local authorities are more concerned about Imelda, which is preparing to follow.
Of the two, Imelda is “the storm of greatest concern to us,” said Michael Weeks, Bermuda’s minister of national security. “I cannot overstate the seriousness of this threat,” he said.
Imelda is expected to pass close to Bermuda during the afternoon or the evening of October 1. The storm is forecast to bring hurricane-force winds for four to six hours overnight from October 1 into October 2, Weeks said.
As of 05:00 EDT (09:00 UTC) on October 1, Imelda was located 732 km (455 miles) west-southwest of Bermuda. Maximum sustained winds (averaged over 1-minute) reached 145 km/h (90 mph).
The system had an estimated minimum central pressure of 974 hPa. It was moving east-northeast at 31 km/h (20 mph). Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 97 km (60 miles) from the center.
The storm is forecast to speed up as it moves east-northeast over the next couple of days. While some strengthening is expected through October 1 and 2, the storm is forecast to become extratropical later in the week
Imelda is forecast to reach Category 2 strength by the time it passes near Bermuda later on October 1.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Bermuda. Hurricane-force winds and 50 to 100 mm (2 to 4 inches) of rainfall are forecast for the island as Imelda makes a close approach to the island.
A dangerous storm surge is also forecast to bring coastal flooding to Bermuda, along with large, damaging waves.
Meanwhile, as of 05:00 AST (09:00 UTC), Humberto was located 451 km (280 miles) west-southwest of Bermuda. Maximum sustained winds (averaged over 1-minute) reached 129 km/h (80 mph).
The system had an estimated minimum central pressure of 979 hPa. It was moving east-northeast at 22 km/h (14 mph). Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 64 km (40 miles) from the center.
Swells generated by Hurricane Imelda and Hurricane Humberto are affecting the Bahamas, Bermuda, and much of the U.S. East Coast. The swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
References:
1 Hurricane Imelda Advisory Number 19- NHC – October 1, 2025
2 Hurricane Humberto Advisory Number 27 – NHC – October 1, 2025
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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