Imelda strengthens as Humberto weakens, Bermuda and Caribbean brace

Hurricane Imelda strengthened off the southeastern United States this week and turned away from the mainland as a second Atlantic storm, Hurricane Humberto, weakened to the north, leaving Bermuda and parts of the Caribbean to absorb the brunt of the weather while U.S. coastal communities contend with dangerous surf and flooding threats. Imelda formed near the Bahamas late last weekend, intensified into a hurricane by Tuesday and passed near or over Bermuda on Wednesday into Thursday, while Humberto, which reached major hurricane strength earlier in the week, tracked farther east and was forecast to remain over open water.

Forecasters said the proximity of the two storms produced an unusual interaction that helped steer Imelda away from the southeastern United States coast. AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert described the pair’s interaction as a factor limiting more severe rainfall over the U.S., a dynamic forecasters have tracked closely. The National Hurricane Center warned that, despite Imelda’s offshore track, its outer bands and the swells generated by both storms would produce hazardous marine conditions from Florida northward, including high surf, life threatening rip...