Tropical Storm Florence intensified this morning, packing winds of 70 mph as it moved through the open Atlantic on a path toward Bermuda, threatening to quickly become hurricane.
Florence is expected to reach the tiny British territory on Monday, but it is too early to tell whether it will make a direct hit, according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Centre in Miami.
Large ocean swells Saturday were affecting Bermuda as well as the northern coasts of Caribbean islands including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Bermuda has issued a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning, and the government urged the territory's 65,000 residents to take precautions. Florence was expected to reach hurricane status later Saturday with winds of at least 74 mph.