With three tropical systems whirling around the Atlantic basin, the Bermuda Weather Service has warned people to be prepared as the Island enters peak hurricane season.

Although Tropical Storms Josephine and Hanna and Hurricane Ike do not currently pose a threat, meteorological forecaster Geoffrey Saville pointed out last night that the first two weeks of September are statistically the most dangerous time for the Island.

"It is peak hurricane season. People need to be aware and prepared," he warned.

Josephine was heading in the direction of Bermuda yesterday. However, any potential trouble is still a week away, and the National Hurricane Center predicted that Josephine would begin weakening today.

The Bermuda Weather Service listed the storm as 2206 nautical miles east-south-east of the Island at 6 p.m. yesterday and packing gusts of 60 knots as it moved west.

Its closest approach was predicted to be 1423 nautical miles to the east-south-east on Saturday, with further movement towards Bermuda expected through to Monday.

Hurricane Ike became the fifth hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic season yesterday, although it was said by the National Hurricane Center to be too early to predict what land areas might eventually be affected.

Ike was listed as a category one hurricane, forecast to strengthen over the coming days. It was located 910 nautical miles of Bermuda at 6 p.m. yesterday, packing gusts of up to 85 knots.

Its closest point of approach in the next 72 hours was predicted to be 522 nautical miles to the south-south-east tomorrow. Tropical Storm Hanna led the Government of the Bahamas to issue a hurricane warning yesterday as it moved north and picked up speed.

The storm has already left at least 21 people dead in Haiti and is forecast to head over the Bahamas and towards the south-east coast of the US in the next few days.

Hanna was located 737 nautical miles south-south-west of Bermuda at 6 p.m. yesterday. The closest point of approach to the Island within 72 hours was listed as 626 nautical miles to the west-north-west on Saturday.

• Advice on hurricane preparedness can be found on the Belco website at www.belco.bm and the National Hurricane Center website at www.nhc.noaa.gov. The latter also carries the latest forecasts on tropical weather systems, with the local picture updated every six hours at www.weather.bm.