conditions and a slight chance of thunderstorms.

Weather forecasters said the storm was a "potential threat'' to the Island, but did not believe it would come any closer to Bermuda than a few hundred miles.

Its closest point of approach was forecasted to be 194 miles to the east at 11 p.m. tonight.

The storm's top winds were 30-40 knots and expected to increase to 45-55 knots.

It was moving north at nine knots last night and expected to swing northeast by this morning.

"It will cause a lot of wave activity on the northeast shore, winds of 15-20 knots with gusts to 25 knots and possibly some showers and thunderstorms,'' a forecaster at the US Naval Oceanography Command Facility said.