Gonzalo begins to weaken after leaving Bermuda without power

Last Updated on Saturday, 18 October 2014, 23:20 by GxMedia

Miami, Oct 18 (EFE).- Hurricane Gonzalo has begun to weaken rapidly after causing severe flooding in coastal areas of Bermuda and leaving that affluent British overseas territory largely without power.

Gonzalo, which struck the mid-Atlantic island Friday night as a Category 2 hurricane and still has maximum sustained winds of 100 mph with higher gusts, is quickly moving away from Bermuda, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory Saturday morning.

It added that the hurricane is forecast to pass near the coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador Saturday night and early Sunday.

Bermuda‘s authorities said early Saturday that the hurricane downed numerous power lines, leaving most of the island’s nearly 70,000 inhabitants without electricity.

Gonzalo’s winds also knocked down trees while waves more than three meters (10 feet) high caused major damage to coastal areas, local media reported.

The hurricane, which is moving toward the north-northeast at nearly 22 mph, has begun to weaken rapidly and is expected to become an “extra-tropical cyclone” on Sunday.