Hurricane Nicole has weakened to a Category 1 storm in the Atlantic after hitting Bermuda as a Category 3 on Thursday. According to Weather.com, peak winds were measured at 119 mph at Pearl Island as the storm downed trees and power lines before spinning away from the island by midday Thursday.
The hurricane had strengthened to a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds measuring at 130 mph Wednesday night as it approached Bermuda. Overnight into Thursday it weakened, causing heavy rains and strong winds on the island.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Nicole continued moving northeast and had sustained winds of 80 mph as of 11 a.m. Friday. NHC forecasts say swells from the storm will continue to affect Bermuda as well as parts of the U.S. east coast and Canada over the next few days.
In Bermuda, thousands of residents reported losing power. The storm also flooded homes and damaged boats that broke away from their moorings, says the New York Times.
Cleanup efforts are underway on the island as government officials reported inspecting bridges and infrastructure for storm damage.
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