Bermuda: Schools closed as Hurricane Lee nears

CMC – The Bermuda government Wednesday announced the closure of public schools over the next two days, as the centre of Hurricane Lee is due to pass west of the island and then approach the coast of New England or Atlantic Canada Friday and Saturday.

Acting Minister of National Security, Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, said that while the schools will be closed, government services will operate as normal on Thursday and that the Causeway will remain open.

“Out of an abundance of caution ferry services will be suspended tomorrow with an assessment made on Friday,” Burch said as he gave an update on Wednesday afternoon, regarding the storm.

He said buses will run to normal schedules on Thursday until 5.30 p.m. (local time) when operations will be suspended with an assessment of routes carried out on Friday morning.

Flights at LF Wade International Airport will be suspended from tomorrow with exception of the BA flights to and from the island which are expected to proceed as normal.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in its latest weather bulletin said that Hurricane Lee is about 420 miles south, southwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (mph).

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Bermuda and the NHC said that Hurricane Lee is moving toward the north-northwest near nine mph.

“A turn towards the north is expected by tonight, followed by an increase in speed on Thursday and Friday. On the forecast track, the centre of Lee will pass west of Bermuda Thursday and Thursday night and then approach the coast of New England or Atlantic Canada Friday and Saturday.” the NHC said.

It said while there will be a slow weakening of the hurricane during the next few days, Lee is likely to remain a large and dangerous hurricane into the weekend.

The NHC said that swells generated by Lee are affecting portions of the Lesser Antilles, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, and Bermuda.

“These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”

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