Hurricane force wind gusts as high as 66 knots knocked a fast ferry out of service yesterday.

The Warbaby Fox, which serves commuters from the East End,suffered a busted main cabin window when she hit a massive wave just off Fort St. Catherine at around 6.45 a.m., according to the Department of Marine and Ports. It will be out of service "until further notice".

No passengers was on board at the time and none of the ferry's five crew was hurt. Evening commute Ferries out of Hamilton were also cancelled, according to signs posted on the doors of the Hamilton Ferry Terminal.

Meteorologist Declan O'Connell said the worst of the weather hit the St. George's area around 6 a.m. with close to 50 knot winds sustained for approximately two minutes at a time.

As a major squall passed gusts surged to 66 knots. The Causeway did not close during the morning commute. And the runway at the Bermuda International Airport remained open thanks to the wind's north-westerly direction. Mr. O'Connell said: "Luckily the wind is right down the runway, there were no crosswinds so planes didn't have any trouble landing."

There were cancelled flights, but that had more to do with continuing weather problems on the US east coast than any weather trouble here in Bermuda. Jetblue finally got its planes moving, after several days of traffic control problems, but its daily flights in and out, but were delayed for four hours.

See Page 11 for more on Jetblue's scheduling delays and financial situation. US Airways also cancelled its Monday service to Washington D.C

The Bermuda Weather Service said at one point yesterday morning the mercury plummeted to 48 degrees which is just one degree shy of the record set on February 19 back in 2003.

Mr. O'Connell said: "A few people reported small hail storms in Paget, I think, and around town."

He estimates the hail would have melted in two minutes or less, even in 48 degree temperatures. Tuesday's high is expected to reach 61 degrees, which is still seven degrees shy of what's considered normal for this time of year.