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Hurricane Gonzalo Turns Post-Tropical After Striking Caribbean and Bermuda (RECAP)

Hurricane Gonzalo, at one time the strongest Atlantic Basin hurricane in four years, became a powerful post-tropical cyclone on Sunday, Oct. 19, more than 500 miles northeast of Newfoundland.

Storm History

Gonzalo, the seventh named storm of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season, formed as a tropical storm (bypassing the tropical depression stage) early Sunday afternoon, Oct. 12, and was upgraded to the season's sixth hurricane late Monday afternoon, Oct. 13.

On the morning of Oct. 13, tropical force sustained winds up to 67 mph, with gusts up to 88 mph, were measured at V. C. Bird International Airport on Antigua.

Air Force Hurricane Hunters early Tuesday morning, Oct. 14, measured wind speeds supporting an upgrade of Gonzalo to a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale as the eye passed just northeast of the British Virgin Islands.

Based on satellite data, NHC upgraded Gonzalo to a Category 3 hurricane Tuesday afternoon. That made Gonzalo the second major hurricane of the 2014 Atlantic season, after Edouard. It was the first major Atlantic hurricane to form in the tropics (south of about 23.4 degrees North latitude) -- as opposed to the subtropics -- since Sandy in October 2012.

Gonzalo peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph on Thursday, Oct. 16. By doing so it became the strongest hurricane, as measured by maximum sustained winds, in the Atlantic Basin since Hurricane Igor in September 2010. Igor also hit Bermuda, but as a Category 1 hurricane.

(MORE: Gonzalo Lashes Bermuda | Photos)

At 8:30 p.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 17, Hurricane Gonzalo made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane with 110 mph winds along the south-central coast of Bermuda. Despite Bermuda being a small target (21 square miles), the center of Gonzalo's large eye still passed over the islands. This was the second time in less than a week that Bermuda had a direct hit from a tropical cyclone.

Sustained winds at the Bermuda airport reached 93 mph with gusts up to 113 mph on the back side of the storm as the eye moved away to the north. Commissioners Point, which has an elevation of 262 feet, reported a sustained winds of 101 mph and a gust to 144 mph.

Prior to Gonzalo, there had been only 10 hurricanes whose centers passed within 75 miles of Bermuda since 1899.

Hurricane Fabian (2003) was the last hurricane to do so before Gonzalo, inflicting an estimated $300 million (U.S.) damage in Bermuda, including extensive damage to trees and significant roof damage to homes. A 10-foot storm surge was estimated.

Gonzalo whisked past the Canadian province of Newfoundland early Sunday, Oct. 19. Winds gusted as high as 66 mph at Cape Pine and 57 mph on the Avalon Peninsula, and some heavy rain was reported.

Shortly thereafter, Gonzalo finally lost its tropical characteristics.

According to Dr. Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University, Gonzalo remained a hurricane farther north than any other hurricane in the Atlantic Basin since Fabian in 2003 -- a storm that had also slammed Bermuda.

(MORE: Expert Analysis | Hurricane Central)

The remnants of Gonzalo moved into the United Kingdom bringing strong winds and heavy rain, with snow on some Scottish hills.

(MORE: United Kingdom Impacts)