Bermuda lashed by distant hurricane and prepares for the stronger Imelda

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The outer bands of distant Hurricane Humberto lashed Bermuda on Tuesday ahead of a more direct pass from the newer and stronger Hurricane Imelda on the tiny British territory.

Humberto was passing well north of the island in the north Atlantic, but wind gusts and some rain were forecast into Wednesday.

Imelda had maximum sustained winds of 140 kph (85 mph) late Tuesday and its center was expected to be near the island Wednesday evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

A hurricane warning for Bermuda was in effect ahead of Imelda, which was expected to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane, according to the Bermuda Weather Service.

“I cannot overstate the seriousness of this threat,” Michael Weeks, Bermuda’s minister of national security, said of Imelda. “This is not, I must stress, a passing squall.”

He said Bermuda would endure sustained hurricane-force winds for up to six hours starting late Wednesday.

The island’s international airport, schools and government offices were to close Wednesday, and Weeks said residents should have all storm preparations completed by noon.

“Imelda has the potential to damage and disrupt our island significantly,” he said.

Bermuda is a wealthy British territory with strong concrete structures capable of withstanding serious storms.

Imelda was 835 kilometers (520 miles) west-southwest of Bermuda and was moving east-northeast at 28 kph (17 mph), U.S. forecasters said. The storm is expected to bring hurricane-force winds to Bermuda late Wednesday, they added.

Far northwest of the island, Humberto was still hurricane strength with 130 kph (80 mph) winds late Tuesday. The Category 1 storm was moving east-northeast at 17 kph (10 mph).

Both hurricanes were creating ocean swells that were likely to cause dangerous surf conditions on Bermuda, the Bahamas and the U.S. East Coast. Five unoccupied houses along North Carolina’s Outer Banks collapsed into the ocean Tuesday as wave after wave rolled in from the Atlantic.

Earlier this week, Imelda battered eastern Cuba, killing two people, according to Prime Minister Manuel Marrero. Flooding and landslides also cut off communities and forced evacuations, according to state media.

One person was also missing in Haiti after Imelda swelled rivers and caused flooding in some 35 communities, its Civil Protection Agency said. Imelda also caused significant crop destruction in a country where more than half of its nearly 12 million inhabitants were expected to experience severe hunger through the first half of the year.

Imelda also flooded parts of the Bahamas on Monday, with New Providence hit hard. More than a dozen public schools on that island and on nearby Grand Bahama and Abaco remained closed on Tuesday.

“The aftermath is serious,” Prime Minister Philip Davis said. “Floodwaters remain.”

Imelda, which reached hurricane strength earlier Tuesday, is the Atlantic season's fourth hurricane this year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms. Of those, five to nine were forecast to become hurricanes, including two to five major hurricanes, which pack winds of 111 mph or greater.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

This GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image taken Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 and provided by NOAA, shows weather systems in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Imelda, left, and Hurricane Humberto at right. (NOAA via AP)

This Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, satellite image released by NASA shows Tropical Storm Imelda, left, and Hurricane Humberto in the Atlantic Ocean. (NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) via AP)

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Raegan Beers had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 4 seed Oklahoma overwhelmed No. 13 seed Idaho 89-59 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

Beers, a senior center, also had four assists and four blocks. Sahara Williams had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Aaliyah Chavez scored 15 points and Payton Verhulst added 14 for the Sooners (25-7), who stopped Idaho's win streak at 18 games. The Vandals hadn’t lost since Jan. 10.

The Sooners pushed the tempo early and were intentional about being balanced. Eventually, they wore the Vandals down.

“I think we’re setting the tone for how we want to play going on into March,” Williams said.

Oklahoma will play No. 5 seed Michigan State in the second round on Sunday. The Spartans outlasted No. 12 Colorado State 65-62 in the early game on Friday.

Kyra Gardner scored 19 points and Hope Hassmann added 12 for Idaho (29-6). The Vandals shot 24.7% from the field and made just 10 of 46 3-pointers.

Oklahoma played one of its most efficient offensive halves of the season to go up 57-35 at the break. The Sooners shot 59.5% from the field and committed just four turnovers. Williams had 13 points and Verhulst had 12 at the break.

The Sooners opened the second half on an 8-1 run, including six points from Beers, to go up 65-36.

Williams drained a shot from beyond halfcourt at the end of the third quarter, but she released it just a bit too late to count. The Sooners took a 76-38 lead into the fourth.

The Sooners created positive energy and the home crowd added more.

“When we have fun, I wouldn’t say a win is guaranteed, but we play a lot better when we have fun and have a smile on our face and we rebound and we score and we assist the ball,” Williams said.

Idaho coach Arthur Moreira said there might be more smiling ahead for the Sooners.

“They’re just a complete team,” he said. “I think they’re equipped to make a big run here. As I was scouting them, it was fun to watch.”

Chavez had five assists and no turnovers, shot a solid 6 for 14 from the field and had six rebounds in her first taste of March Madness.

Strangely, she missed her first two free throws before making two later. She made 70 of 72 free throws during Southeastern Conference play and entered the night shooting 94% from the line overall this season.

Oklahoma made 15 of 21 layups while Idaho made 4 of 19.

Beers was a significant factor in both of those stats. She made five of her six layups and was a pest around the rim defensively. She was a key reason Idaho made just 10 of 35 shots inside the 3-point line.

The women's team made the 30-minute trip to Oklahoma City on Thursday to watch the Idaho men play Houston.

Many of the fans that watched that 78-47 loss showed up in Norman on Friday.

“Just to be in the Idaho section was so cool,” Hassmann said. “And then also to see those fans travel here today — kind of had our own Idaho section, which was super cool to hear them cheer for us and our band and cheerleaders.”

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Idaho guard Katlin Kangur (14) goes up to shoot beside Oklahoma guard Aaliyah Chavez (2) during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 20, 2026, Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Oklahoma center Raegan Beers (15) blocks a shot by Idaho guard Ana Pinheiro (37) during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 20, 2026, Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)