Hurricane Imelda and Hurricane Humberto stir dangerous surf as homes collapse in North Carolina amid rare storm convergence across the Atlantic.
Twin hurricanes are sweeping across the Atlantic this week, sending destructive waves crashing into the US East Coast and raising alarm in Bermuda, where the island faces the prospect of back-to-back impacts.
Hurricane Humberto brushed past Bermuda on Tuesday, lashing the territory with fierce winds and heavy surf. Hot on its heels, Hurricane Imelda is tracking closer and could make a direct strike on the island, according to forecasters — an unusually rare one-two blow for the North Atlantic.
Along the United States coastline, the storms have already left visible scars. In North Carolina’s Outer Banks, at least five houses collapsed into the ocean as pounding surf eroded the shoreline, the National Park Service confirmed. Video captured by residents showed homes splintering and sliding into the waves as seawater surged across fragile stretches of beach.
Officials warned that conditions remain hazardous. “We are seeing unprecedented erosion in some areas,” the Park Service said, urging coastal residents and visitors to stay clear of the water.
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Bermuda, a British overseas territory of about 60,000 people, is well-practiced in preparing for tropical systems. Still, meteorologists said two hurricanes arriving in such quick succession is a rare occurrence. Authorities there have closed schools, suspended flights, and urged households to stock up on food, water, and batteries.
The Atlantic hurricane season typically runs from June through November, and activity often peaks in September. While the US mainland has been battered by tropical storms this year, it has so far avoided a hurricane making landfall — a streak not seen in more than a decade. If that holds through the end of the season, it would mark the first year since 2015 without a hurricane-strength strike on US soil.
Scientists have warned that rising ocean temperatures linked to climate change are fueling stronger and wetter hurricanes. Warmer seas provide more energy for storms to intensify quickly, leaving communities with less time to prepare.
For now, Bermuda remains on high alert as Imelda approaches, while coastal towns from the Carolinas to New England brace for dangerous surf and rip currents in the coming days.
