A hurricane due to hit Bermuda this weekend will not be ?one of those in and out afternoon storms?, a meteorologist warned last night.

Dr. Lou McNally, of Bermuda Weather Service, said Tropical Storm Florence was still on course to reach the Island by Sunday night or Monday, when its winds are expected to hit at least 70 mph. And it could still be wreaking havoc here as late as Tuesday because of its vast size, which slows movement.

Dr. McNally urged Islanders to start preparing for the worst by checking roofs for loose slates and tidying up stray objects to prevent flying debris causing injury or damage.

?People should be taking this seriously,? he said. ?We don?t know exactly how strong it?s going to get but this is something to which people should pay close attention. Preparations should be well under way.?

Dr. McNally added last night: ?It?s moving slower than a typical hurricane might. It will be a slow run up to the storm. By Sunday night and Monday it will be close enough to give us its best shot."

The storm picked up speed overnight, and is now moving west-northwest at 14 knots.

Dr. McNally said: ?This is not going to be one of those in and out afternoon storms. By Tuesday it will be gone past us and the worst will be over but I do think that because it looks like it?s going to be moving slower than normal it may have a slow wind down on the other side.?

Dr. McNally said 400-mile wide Florence was still in the process of organising. ?The reason it hasn?t become a hurricane yet is because of its size,? he said. ?It?s very big.

?It could get stronger. There is nothing at the moment out there that would prevent it from developing into a stronger storm. We are expecting it to approach us closely. Because of the size of the storm it could miss us by many, many miles and still affect us.?

At noon today, the storm was 637 nautical miles southeast of Bermuda with winds of 45 knots gusting to 55 knots and moving west-northwest at 15 knots. It is expected to be 28 nautical miles to the south of the Island by 5 a.m. on Monday when it will be packing winds of between 85 and 90 knots. Weather forecasters are predicting the Island will experience hurricane force winds beginning on Sunday night.

Newly-appointed Public Safety Minister Derrick Burgess also issued a warning to the public yesterday.

He urged Islanders to ?keep their guard up? as any storm could be dangerous.

?The public is encouraged to stock up on normal hurricane supplies and to secure their homes, lawn furniture and any other loose items which could be affected by high winds,? he said, adding that mariners should check that their vessels were secure

The Island?s Emergency Measures Organisation will meet today to discuss Florence?s progress. Meanwhile, Bermuda Police Service said it was monitoring the Causeway to see if it needed to be closed.