The National Hurricane Center or NHC called Nicole an "extremely dangerous closing in on Bermuda" on Oct. 13. NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Nicole as it was approaching the island.
Nicole is a large tropical cyclone. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 65 miles (100 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km).
On Oct. 12 at 1:50 p.m. EDT (1750 UTC) the MODIS or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Nicole when it was a Category 2 hurricane.
At 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) on Oct. 13 the eye of Hurricane Nicole was located near 31.6 degrees lnorth latitude and 65.2 degrees west longitude. That's just 55 miles (85 km) south-southwest of Bermuda.
The NHC said Nicole is moving toward the north-northeast near 15 mph (24 kph). A turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected later today. On the forecast track, the core of Nicole will pass near Bermuda in the late morning on Oct. 13.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 125 mph (205 kph) with higher gusts. Nicole is an extremely dangerous category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Although a gradual weakening is forecast, Nicole is expected to remain a major hurricane when it moves near Bermuda today.
For local effects, visit the NHC website: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov .
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