Igor slightly weakens as it aims directly for Bermuda
September 14th, 2010 - 8:33 pm ICT by BNO NewsMIAMI (BNO NEWS) — Major hurricane Igor slightly weakened on Tuesday as it appears to be heading straight for the British overseas territory of Bermuda, forecasters said.
As of 5 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, the center of Igor was located about 1205 kilometers (750 miles) east of the Northern Leeward Islands. The storm is moving toward the west near 12 kilometers (8 miles) per hour, a general motion which is expected to continue until Wednesday.
Igor, which is still a category four hurricane, slightly weakened overnight but remains extremely dangerous. Its maximum sustained winds were near 215 kilometers (135 miles) per hour as of 5 a.m. EDT, with higher gusts.
“Fluctuations in strength due to inner core evolution are probable over the next couple of days,” said forecaster Richard Pasch at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. “However, the large-scale atmospheric and oceanic environment is likely to remain quite conductive for the maintenance of a major hurricane for the next 48 to 72 hours.”
Hurricane force winds currently extend outward up to 85 kilometers (50 miles) from the center, while tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 315 kilometers (195 miles). However, no land is currently being affected directly by the storm.
“Swells generated by Igor will begin affecting the Leeward Islands today and will reach Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands tonight and Wednesday,” Pasch said. “These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
According to the most recent forecast, Igor will be heading in the direction of Bermuda where it may make landfall as a category 1 or 2 hurricane on Sunday if the track does not change.
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Tags: bno, british overseas territory, current conditions, forecaster, forecasters, gusts, hurricane force, inner core, kilometers, landfall, maximum sustained winds, miles per hour, national hurricane center, northern leeward islands, oceanic environment, pasch, storm force winds, tropical storm force, tropical storm force winds, virgin islands