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MIAMI: Hurricane Bill, the first of the Atlantic storm season, doused Bermuda with heavy rain on Saturday as it barrelled past the islands, sparking fears of life-threatening currents along the US east coast.
Packing winds of 105 miles (165 kilometres) an hour, the hurricane was set to head perilously close to the upscale island resort of Martha's Vineyard, where US President Barack Obama and his family are heading for vacation on Sunday.
The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) warned that "large swells generated by Hurricane Bill are affecting the Bahamas and Bermuda and beginning to affect the southeast coast of the United States.
"Large swells will begin to affect much of the remainder of the US east coast and the Atlantic maritimes of Canada later (Saturday) and Sunday. These swells will likely cause extremely dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents," it warned.
But the centre earlier downgraded the hurricane a notch to category two on the Saffir-Simpson scale, meaning the storm threatens to cause widespread damage, but does not carry the same potential to destroy weak homes as a category three storm.
In the Dominican Republic, on the island of Hispaniola, authorities reported waves up to 10 feet (three meters) due to Bill's passage.
Bermuda shut down its main international gateway, L.F. Wade International Airport, for the night as the tourist island bunkered in.
"It's quite wild at the moment, but we're used to hurricanes in Bermuda," said Lorna Cervantez, who works at the island's Royal Palms Hotel. "From our previous experience, we have to get ready."
Bermuda was expected to avoid a direct hit from Bill as the hurricane churns past it on its way near Massachusetts in time for the Obamas' arrival.
A tropical storm warning was in effect on the coast of Massachusetts from Woods Hole to Sagamore Beach.
Yacht owners battened down the hatches at Martha's Vineyard, a popular island of tranquillity for the rich and famous where the US first family was due to spend a week unwinding for the first time since Obama's inauguration in January.
One of the most prominent people affected by the hurricane was coincidentally also named Bill – former US president Bill Clinton, who was taking a vacation in Bermuda with his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the power couple left on Thursday, but would not comment on the next stop in their vacation, which Clinton aides have kept a closely guarded secret.
It was the latest bad vacation news for the itinerant travellers, who cancelled an earlier holiday on the Greek island of Corfu after the US diplomatic chief broke her elbow, forcing her to skip a trip to a regional conference there.
US oil giant Exxon Mobil said it was evacuating all 200 workers from a gas platform off the Canadian east coast ahead of Hurricane Bill's expected weekend arrival.
At 1200 GMT Saturday, Bill's eye was about 380 km (235 miles) west-northwest of Bermuda and about 660 km (410 miles) east of Cape Hatteras North Carolina, or about 820 km (510 miles) south of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
It was moving forward northwest at around 22 miles (35 kilometres) per hour.
"A turn toward the north-northeast and an increase in forward speed is expected on Sunday. On the forecast track the core of Hurricane Bill should pass offshore the coast of New England late today or tonight and approach Nova Scotia on Sunday," the NHC said.
"Interests elsewhere along the coast of New England and in the Canadian maritimes should monitor the progress of Bill. Additional watches or warnings may be issued later today for other portions of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland," it added.
The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends on November 30.
Bill's progress follows one of the calmest starts to the hurricane season in a decade, which researchers for the state of Colorado attributed to the development of an El Nino effect in the Pacific.
- AFP/so
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