Hurricane Alex, now churning off the coast of the Carolinas, is a potential threat to Bermuda, forecasters advised today.

The Bermuda Weather Service reported Tropical Storm Alex was packing sustained winds of 70 knots with gusts to 85 knots, and was moving northeast at nine knots.

Alex reached hurricane strength overnight.

As of 6 a.m. this morning, Alex was located ar 33.5 degrees north and 76.9 degrees west and was 620 nautical miles off Bermuda.

The storm's closest point of approach to Bermuda was forecast at 375 nautical miles north-northwest of Bermuda at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

A spokesperson at the Weather Service said that the storm will pass "in and out" of the 400-mile mark away from the Island.

However the slow moving nature of the storm meant that Bermuda would experience higher winds than normal - between 20 to 30 knots - for all of tomorrow, with a small-craft warning likely to be issued.

Hurricane warnings were posted for the Outer Banks in North Carolina coast from Cape Lookout to Oregon Inlet, yesterday.

Alex started as a tropical depression on Saturday and spun into place off the South Carolina coast on Sunday, but by midday yesterday, the storm began moving parallel to the eastern seaboard.

Only two hurricane seasons on record - which run from June 1 to November 30 - have had their first tropical depressions forming later than July 31.

But weather experts warn that late starts have no bearing on hurricane activity.

Boaters around Charleston were warned to be on the lookout for waterspouts.

The storm brought scattered showers along the coast as rain bands spun onshore.

By late yesterday morning, Alex's maximum sustained wind had increased to 60 mph, with some higher gusts as waves washed across South Carolina beaches.

Although no landfall was projected, Alex was expected to approach the coast. At sunrise this morning, it was projected to be just off Cape Lookout, N.C., said the Florida-based National Hurricane Center.

Meteorologists said no significant coastal flooding was expected, although high water was possible in the North Carolina sounds. One to two inches of rain was expected in some areas.

The storm comes just as loggerhead turtle eggs are beginning to hatch and members of the South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts were watching its progress closely. The group did not plan to move nests because they try to eliminate human contact with the eggs.

"The nests can take a wash-over, as long as they're on a slant and the water drains off," Betsy Brabson said. "If the nest sits in the water, the turtles can drown."