FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Hurricane Larry is expected to approach Bermuda at major hurricane strength, bringing the threat of winds, rain and coastal flooding to the island, as well as “dangerous and life-threatening” rip currents and swells to the U.S. East Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Larry’s top winds reached 125 mph Sunday, just 5 mph shy of the minimum threshold for a Category 4 hurricane.
This season, Hurricanes Larry, Grace and Ida all had winds top winds greater than 125 mph, according to Colorado State University hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach. Only three other Atlantic seasons on record have had three hurricanes with top winds of over 125 mph by this point in September: 1933, 2005 and 2008, he said.
Larry is forecast to bring “dangerous and life-threatening” rip currents and swells to the Bahamas and Bermuda on Monday and Tuesday, reaching the east coast of the U.S. and Canada by midweek, according to the hurricane center.
As of 11 a.m. EDT Sunday, Larry was 880 miles east of the Caribbean Sea and 1,285 southeast of Bermuda, moving on a path to the northwest at 4 mph.
Forecasters said there’s a chance Larry will exist until next week, becoming the longest-lived system of the season, surpassing Ida, which lasted nine days.
Meanwhile, an area of low pressure in the western Caribbean is expected to cross the Gulf of Mexico early this week, reaching the southeastern United States by midweek. Forecasters said some development is possible late this week as it emerges over the Atlantic.
The next named storm to form would be Mindy.
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