Just off its 6-plus day Hurricane Matthew marathon, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) now is eyeing Tropical Storm Nicole.

“It’s been less than 48 hours since the Hurricane Watch Net secured operations for Hurricane Matthew,” HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said. “With just a little bit of time to rest and catch our breath, we now have new threat: Nicole.”

Graves said the forecast track for Nicole has moved more to the west, “which could have the eye passing very close to, if not on, the shores of Bermuda sometime Thursday,” he explained. “As a result, I’ve placed the Hurricane Watch Net on ‘Standby Alert.’” In HWN terminology, this is “Alert Level 2” — after a tropical cyclone has been named that may threaten land within the net’s area of concern.

Graves said he hopes Nicole will spare Bermuda its fourth tropical cyclone in 3 years. In 2013, Tropical Storm Fay passed the island followed Hurricane Gonzalo, a Category 3 hurricane, a few days later. “Last year, the eye of Hurricane Joaquin passed extremely close to shore,” he said.

At the National Hurricane Center, Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, told Graves, “WX4NHC will be activated for Hurricane Nicole and Bermuda. We will be primarily active on the HWN and EchoLink Hurricane Nets.”