Schools and airport shut as Hurricane Imelda moves over Bermuda

Bermuda deploys soldiers to unafraid infrastructure, wide roads and assistance astatine exigency shelters.

Hurricane Imelda’s halfway has moved implicit Bermuda, lashing the British territory with destructive winds, damaging waves and flash flooding.

The Category 2 hurricane struck precocious connected Wednesday nighttime with maximum sustained winds of 100mph (161km/h), according to the National Weather Service successful Miami, Florida. The tempest was located astir 20 miles (32km) southwest of Bermuda, moving east-northeast arsenic it passed straight implicit the island.

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“Damaging Waves, and Flash Flooding Expected Into The Morning,” the National Hurricane Centre said successful a station connected X. It aboriginal said conditions were expected to amended arsenic the hurricane’s halfway passed northeast of the island. “The Island Expected to Improve During the Next Several Hours.”

Hurricane #Imelda Advisory 22A: Imelda'S Core Now East-Northeast of Bermuda With Conditions On The Island Expected to Improve During the Next Several Hours. https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 2, 2025

Imelda developed rapidly aft forming arsenic a tropical tempest implicit the Bahamas connected Sunday afternoon. It intensified into a hurricane connected Monday nighttime aft tracking done the Bahamas and brushing Florida’s eastbound coast, bringing dense rainfall and triggering tropical tempest warnings crossed the cardinal and northwestern Bahamas.

Bermuda deployed 100 soldiers to unafraid infrastructure, wide roads and assistance astatine exigency shelters successful beforehand of the hurricane’s arrival.

Local authorities closed nationalist schools, authorities offices and the planetary airdrome connected Wednesday arsenic officials warned residents to hole for unsafe conditions. Fifty-three radical made usage of exigency shelters, and 654 were near without power, Bermuda’s authorities said.

“This is simply a unsafe tempest strategy that could bring destructive winds, dense rainfall and important coastal impacts,” said Michael Weeks, Bermuda’s nationalist information minister.

The hurricane centre besides warned that Imelda would driblet 50 to 100mm (2 to 4 inches) of rainfall crossed Bermuda and nutrient a unsafe tempest surge that could unleash coastal flooding. Hundreds of customers mislaid powerfulness earlier Imelda made its closest approach.

Earlier successful the week, Imelda deed the bluish Caribbean, triggering floods.

In eastbound Cuba, much than 18,000 radical were evacuated successful Guantanamo province, portion flooding and landslides chopped disconnected entree to 17 communities lodging much than 24,000 radical successful Santiago de Cuba. Two radical died successful Cuba, and 1 idiosyncratic remains missing successful Haiti pursuing dense flooding.

Imelda comes conscionable aft Category 4 Hurricane Humberto withered distant connected Wednesday aft passing westbound of Bermuda.