Britons travelling to Bermuda and the US east coast have been placed on alert after tropical storm Humberto was upgraded to a category one hurricane.
Hurricane Humberto is working up the Atlantic Coast towards Bermuda and is expected to bring winds of up to 90mph, according to the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC).
The NHC is forecasting periods of heavy rain in Bermuda starting Tuesday evening (17 September) as well as large coastal swells, which may also be felt on the southeastern coast of the US in Florida and North Carolina.
On Monday (16 September), the Foreign Office updated its travel advice for both Bermuda and the US, warning Humberto would likely strengthen to a category two hurricane by the time it reached Bermuda on Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
“Hurricane Humberto is forecast to pass 100 miles north of Bermuda by late Wednesday/early Thursday as a category two hurricane,” said the FCO.
“People intending to travel on those days should check with their travel company, exercise due caution and monitor local news and weather reports.”
According to the FCO, Bermuda’s hurricane season runs from June to November. Anyone travelling to the island during this period should monitor the Bermuda weather service and NHC for updates, and heed the advice of local authorities.
In respect of the US, the FCO added: “The NHC advises Hurricane Humberto will bring large swells and high rip currents to the southeastern US coast for several days this week.
“If you are in these areas, you should monitor the progress of any approaching storms on the NHC website and follow any instructions issued by the local authorities.”