?It?s going to be a hurricane and it?s going to be close enough by Sunday or Monday? ? warned the Bermuda Weather Service as Tropical Storm Florence veered towards Bermuda yesterday.

Meteorologist Lou McNally said the 400-mile wide system was taking its time to organise but was a bigger threat because of its size. ?Even if it misses by 200 miles we will feel the effects.?

Mr. McNally said Florence was being taken very seriously. ?We are staying right on top of it and have brought extra staff in for this. You can count on us.?

Situated 1,115 nautical miles southeast of Bermuda at noon today and moving west-northwest at seven knots, Florence is expected to bring tropical storm force winds on Sunday and Monday. Her position at noon today was 19.8N 53.4W.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 45 knots, gusting to 55 knots, Florence is predicted to be 225 nautical miles to the south by noon on Sunday morning but meterologists' projections see it moving closer on Monday.

And the stats are not in Bermuda?s favour either. Hurricanes hit Bermuda slightly less than every three years on average and it?s been three years since Hurricane Fabian killed four people and did millions of dollars of damage.

Mr. McNally said the three-year average was spread over 80-100 years but the danger was much worse now.

?Hurricanes come in patches ? 15 years or so they are active, 15 years or so they are inactive. We are in an active period right now.

?We are probably four or five years into the increased activity, right in the meat of it, so we are expecting active seasons for a few years to come. But one of things working in our favour is many people had experienced Fabian ? if anyone wasn?t here for Fabian then ask your neighbours to tell you about it.?