Hurricane Nicole has shown an amazing ability to both survive, and then grow explosively in a very short time.
Consider that over the weekend, she was the Category 2 that "fizzled" to a Tropical Storm at the same time as powerful Hurricane Matthew buzz-sawed its way up the east coast of the USA.
Now, just a few days later, Nicole is showing some serious power of her own. Growing from a Category 2 to a Major Category 4 hurricane in less than 12 hours (Wednesday evening).
Of greater concern, her forecast track consistently takes her directly over the small island of Bermuda, home to 65,000 and just over 600 miles off the coast of North Carolina.
Because it is a relatively small target to hit and it is well north of the warmest Caribbean waters, is rare for a major hurricane to strike the small island directly. In fact, Hurricane Fabian in September of 2003 was the last major hurricane to make a direct hit.
On its current path, the eye of Nicole could past directly over Bermuda by mid-day Thursday.
