NU Online News Service, Aug. 20, 3:45 p.m. EDT
Hurricane Bill is expected to hit the East Coast this weekend with pounding surf and dangerous rip tides but otherwise give the United States a pass, the National Weather Service Hurricane Center said.
During the next few days large ocean swells should begin affecting the Bahamas, Bermuda, most of the Eastern U.S. Coast and the Atlantic Maritimes of Canada, the Hurricane Center forecasted.
Action from wave swells "will likely cause extremely dangerous surf and lif-threatening rip currents." The Center said.
Risk Management Solutions catastrophe modeling firm in Newark, Calif., noted that Bill has weakened slightly to a Category 3 hurricane, but is forecast to remain a major hurricane for the next few days. It is expected to veer away from the U.S., but may impact Bermuda with strong winds and heavy rains within the next 2 to 3 days.
RMS said a slight risk remains that Bermuda could be more directly impacted.
The firm said forecasts indicate the hurricane will pass between the U.S. east coast and Bermuda over the coming two to three days, sustaining Category 3 status with winds from 111 mph to 130 mph as it remains over warm water and encounters light wind shear.
After it passes the northwest of Bermuda, RMS said it will begin to take a more northerly track and veer away from the U.S.
"After this time, some models suggest Bill will pass over Nova Scotia, while other models indicate that Bill will track further east and remain over open waters. Most of the models suggest that Bill will remain to the west of Bermuda, however, there is a chance that Bermuda will be impacted in two to three days time if the track shifts any further east," RMS said.
After three days, RMS said Bill is expected to encounter cooler Atlantic waters and a southwesterly shear, which will create a more rapid rate of weakening as it approaches Nova Scotia.
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