Hurricane Nigel, the sixth hurricane of the Atlantic Ocean season, has become a Category 1 storm and is predicted to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane. The storm formed in the center of the Atlantic on Saturday and quickly gained strength, reaching Category 1 status on Monday. Currently, Nigel has sustained winds of 80 miles per hour.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and National Weather Service (NWS), forecasters expect Nigel to become a Category 3 hurricane by Tuesday, with sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour. Nigel is currently located approximately 900 miles southeast of Bermuda and is moving in a northwesterly direction.
Fortunately, Nigel is not expected to make landfall, and no warnings or watches have been issued. The NHC predicts that the hurricane will veer off into the open Atlantic Ocean by Wednesday morning. Nigel developed shortly after Hurricane Lee weakened and became a post-tropical storm in Nova Scotia.
The tradition of naming weather events originated in the 1900s to facilitate communication between meteorologists, coast guards, and ships’ captains. The practice of using names was easier to remember than serial numbers and contributed to clear and accurate information exchange.
Hurricanes are classified based on sustained wind speeds, with Category 1 having winds between 74 and 95 miles per hour. They can reach up to Category 5, with winds of 157 mph or higher, resulting in catastrophic damage.
As global temperatures rise and sea levels increase, scientists predict that tropical cyclones like hurricanes will become stronger and cause more catastrophic damage. The effects of climate change contribute to their increasing intensity.
Currently, there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect for Hurricane Nigel, as its projected path keeps it in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.