Strong winds and colder temperatures have left some homes without power

Wintry weather has swept across the island, bringing strong winds and a noticeable drop in temperatures. This shift has taken many by surprise, as recent winters have been milder, according to Michelle Pitcher, Director of the Bermuda Weather Service (BWS).

Unpacking what is driving the sudden shift, Ms Pitcher said, “We’ve had low-pressure systems, large ones, coming off the U.S. East Coast, and it’s really just the size of these pressure systems and how deep they are. They just really increase the winds as they’re going across the North Atlantic and passing to our north.”

Following the cold front that crossed the island this morning, the BWS advised that wintry conditions are expected to persist for a little while longer.

“What really drives all our surface conditions is the upper levels, and right now, all of the motion in the upper atmosphere isn’t moving, so there’s nothing really to push these features out of our way,” Ms Pitcher said.

She further explained that a large area of low pressure is centred over the Canadian Maritimes, but its size allows it to continue impacting the island, bringing more wind and wet weather in the coming days.

“It’s gonna have another trough intensify to our west later on Wednesday night into Thursday, and then we are going to see gales again Thursday evening or Thursday night, and just some more showers coming through,” Ms Pitcher stated. “So I know we’re going to be weary of the wind, it’s wet and windy, but it’s just kind of what our typical winter weather looks like. It’s just decided to come all at once this month.”

Today’s high winds have also caused pockets of power outages island-wide. Early this morning, BELCO’s outage map displayed that around 1000 people were without power, 800 alone in Warwick Parish.

As of 4 p.m., the map showed 116 homes without power, the majority in Paget.

BELCO Managing Director, Shelly Leman stated, “BELCO customers have been and are expected to continue to be impacted by wet and windy conditions that have the potential to cause outages, particularly as heavy, wet vegetation comes into contact with our high voltage lines.”

She continued, “Throughout the weekend and today, BELCO crews have been responding to outages as quickly and safely as possible, with at least three outages today caused by trees and vegetation coming into contact with our overhead lines.”

Ms Leman also advised affected residents to unplug sensitive equipment and electronics, and to exercise caution near working crews.

Despite the blustery weather outlook, Ms Pitcher advised that there may be a brief reprieve on the horizon.

“It does look like, according to the models, that the pattern is going to change and get us out of this low-pressure wind,” she said. “Coming into the weekend, we are actually going to see winds briefly decrease for a little bit before we might see some more weather coming our way.”