Hurricane Rafael heads to Bermuda

CMC – Hurricane Rafael, a Category One storm, was heading towards Bermuda on Tuesday where power outages have already been reported.

A number of airlines, including British Airways and WestJet have either cancelled flights to and from the British Overseas Territory as heavy rains associated with the storm continue to drench the island.

There were also reports of power outages in Pembroke.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said that the hurricane was about 345 miles south of Bermuda.

NHC said that the center of Hurricane Rafael was located near latitude 27.3 north, longitude 65 west and is moving towards the north-northwest near 16 miles per hour.

“A turn towards the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected by tonight. On the forecast track, the center of Rafael should pass east of Bermuda late this afternoon and evening,” NHC added.

The maximum sustained winds are near 85 MPH.

The NHC said that Rafael is expected to produce total rain accumulations of two to four inches across Bermuda.

However, little change in strength is expected today with a weakening trend likely to begin by Wednesday morning.

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