Officials in Bermuda urged residents to "prepare for the worst" as Hurricane Leslie headed toward the British territory, bringing with it powerful winds and heavy rain.
Meanwhile, the storm's effects
were already being felt as far away as the U.S. East Coast, where forecasters
issued warnings for life-threatening rip currents spawned by the distant
storm.
In Bermuda, schools prepared to
close Friday as residents got ready for the approaching storm.
"Leslie could be a historic storm
for Bermuda as it is very large and forecast to intensify rapidly as it
approaches," Bermuda's Emergency Measures Organization said in a statement. "The
island could experience hurricane force winds for a sustained period of time,
possibly up to two days."
The storm seemed to stall
Thursday, moving just 10 miles (16 kilometers) since earlier in the day, the
National Hurricane Center said. The storm was about 430 miles south-southeast of
Bermuda, moving at 2 mph (3 kph), the center said.
It had maximum sustained winds of
75 mph (121 kph), the hurricane center said.
The storm wasn't expected to move
much or significantly strengthen until Friday, the center said. Forecasters say
it could affect Bermuda this weekend.
The storm is already dishing out
heavy swells and dangerous currents in coastal areas of Bermuda, the Leeward
Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the U.S. East Coast from Florida to
New York, the National Weather Service said Thursday.
Forecasters warned of potentially
deadly rip currents that can pull even the strongest of swimmers out to sea
quickly. The agency warned beachgoers to stay out of the surf until the danger
passes.
Warnings were up in Florida,
Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York.
The U.S. Coast Guard also warned
boaters to use "extreme caution" through the weekend along the East Coast.
Another hurricane, Michael,
formed late Wednesday in the eastern Atlantic. By early Thursday, it had become
the first major hurricane of the season as it strengthened to a Category 3, with
winds of near 115 mph.
Michael is the seventh hurricane
of the 2012 season but posed no immediate threat to land, the hurricane center
said.
