Hurricane Bill update for 11 a.m. Aug. 20
At 11 a.m. AST the Bermuda weather service has issued a hurricane watch for Bermuda. The hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 36 hours.
At 11 a.m. the eye of Hurricane Bill was located about 380 miles north of the Leeward Islands and about 695 miles south-southeast of Bermuda.
Bill is moving toward the northwest near 18 mph and this general motion is expected to continue through Friday. On this forecast track, the core of Hurricane Bill is expected to pass over open waters between Bermuda and the east coast of the United States early Saturday.
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 120 mph with higher gusts. Bill is a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24-hours and Bill could regain category four status on Friday.
Bill is a large tropical cyclone. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 105 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extending outward up to 260 miles.
Large swells generated by this hurricane are affecting the northern Leeward Islands and should begin affecting the Bahamas, Bermuda and most of the easter U.S. coast and the Atlantic Maritime to Canada during the next few days. These swells will likely cause extremely dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents.
Source: National Hurricane Center