Storm “Nicole” has gained strength over the Bahamas and is now heading for the east coast of the USA as a relatively rare November hurricane. Just below the hurricane threshold, the storm center reached land over the Bahamian island of Great Abaco on Wednesday. As a result, according to the US hurricane center NHC, sustained wind speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour were measured – from 119 kilometers per hour it is a hurricane. On Thursday night (local time), “Nicole” is expected to hit the east coast of the US state of Florida as a hurricane, the NHC said.
Emergency shelters had been provided and public facilities closed in the Bahamas. According to initial media reports, flooding occurred on the Abaco Islands and the island of Grand Bahama. There, in the north-west of the island state, Hurricane “Dorian” was one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever measured in September 2019, causing more than 70 deaths and severe destruction. According to the NHC, storm surges were also to be expected in Florida and further north in Georgia.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th. In November, as a rule, not so many hurricanes form. An exception was November 2020, when two strong hurricanes – “Eta” and “Iota” – caused devastating damage in Central America.
Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean water. The number of severe storms is not increasing due to climate change, but the probability is.
