Extreme weather hits Atlantic coast

07 September 2012 09:45

Two hurricanes were being monitered in the US yesterday

Two hurricanes were being monitered in the US yesterday

Extreme weather conditions swept the Atlantic coast of North and Central America yesterday, serving as a stark reminder of the importance of travel insurance. The US National Hurricane Centre in Miami confirmed that Hurricane Michael, the seventh hurricane of the season in the Atlantic, was located about 1,060 miles south west of the Azores last night.

The hurricane was carrying winds of 75mph and moving north east at 7mph, although poses no immediate threat to land. The storm is expected to turn toward the North West and slow down over the next two days. Michael was the second hurricane to form in the Atlantic yesterday, following the formation of Hurricane Leslie, which was centred about 445 miles South East of Bermuda. Leslie was crawling North at 2mph with maximum sustained winds of 75mph, but is expected to strengthen over the next two days.

Meanwhile, in Central America a powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Costa Rica and neighbouring countries, briefly triggering a tsunami alert. "When we felt the earthquake, we held onto each other because we kept falling," said Rosa Pichardo, 45, who was walking on the beach in the town of Samara with her family when the quake hit. I've never felt anything like this. We just couldn't stay standing. My feet gave out under me. It was terrible, terrible," she said.

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