Tropical Storm Epsilon, soon to be a hurricane, will track close to the island of Bermuda later this week. The chance of a direct hit is slim, but not none. At least minor impacts to local supply chains are possible.
Epsilon became a tropical storm Monday when sustained winds around its center reached 40 mph. Minimum tropical storm strength is 39 mph. By Tuesday afternoon, winds had increased to 60 mph and the storm had nearly stalled about 670 miles southeast of Bermuda. Epsilon is a large system, with tropical storm force winds extending up to 300 miles from its center.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is expecting Epsilon to pick up speed and strength over the next few days, becoming a Category 1 hurricane by Thursday, then sliding by Bermuda Friday.
Based on the NHC forecast, as well as almost all other tropical forecast models, Epsilon should stay far enough east of Bermuda for the island to avoid major damage. However, tropical storm conditions could reach the island Thursday. Because of this possibility, the NHC has issued a tropical storm watch for Bermuda.
Large swells generated by Epsilon may affect Bermuda for the next several days and could cause minor issues at ports. Moderate rainfall from Epsilon’s outer bands could also cause minor flooding on some roads.
If Epsilon tracks farther west, the impacts on Bermuda would become much worse and life-threatening. Look for updates on the FreightWaves website and social media accounts.