In the wake of a more than 6-day activation for Hurricane Matthew, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) has announced plans to activate again, this time for Hurricane Nicole. After consulting with radio amateurs in Bermuda and taking the latest storm advisory into account, HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said the net would initiate operation on October 13 at 1100 UTC on 14.325 MHz. The net is currently at “Alert Level 3,” which is a stand-by mode. A Hurricane Warning now is in effect for Bermuda.

“Should propagation on 20 meters become an issue, we will use 7.268 MHz, as required,” Graves said.

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Nicole has turned northward, and the core of the storm is expected to pass near or over Bermuda on October 13. It does not appear that the storm will be a threat to the US.

As of 1500 UTC, Hurricane Nicole was a Category 2 storm located some 295 miles south-southwest of Bermuda, with maximum sustained winds of 100 MPH. The storm is moving north at 7 MPH.

At this time, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) Net does not plan to shift into an extended monitoring status. SATERN operators are being encouraged to monitor the Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz, but should not check in.

The VoIP Hurricane Net (VoIPWX) will activate on October 13 from 0900 through 2400 UTC. Stations on the net will monitor online weather stations and storm bloggers from the Caribbean Hurricane Network (stormCARIB), as well as social media.

“VP9HK, Tony, has checked in with us and stated he may join us periodically,” said Rob Macedo, KD1CY, the operations director for the net.

The NHC hurricane conditions are expected to begin on Bermuda Thursday morning, with tropical storm conditions expected to begin this evening or tonight. A dangerous storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 6 to 8 feet above normal tide levels in Bermuda. The surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Swells associated with Nicole will affect Bermuda during the next few days.  These swells will create dangerous surf conditions and rip currents.

Nicole is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 4 to 8 inches over Bermuda through Thursday. Isolated tornadoes are possible on Bermuda tonight and early Thursday.