Hurricane Bill Picks Up Steam
Hurricane Bill has morphed into a scary Category 4 storm whose winds could surpass its current 135-mph ruckus before settling down. The residents of the Leeward Islands are the most vulnerable right now, according to officials at the National Hurricane Center, but Bermudians could also feel Bill’s rage before he fizzles out over the next several days. “The wind sheer is light and the waters are warm,” Todd Kimberlain, a forecaster at the center, said Tuesday. “Those are two essential ingredients not just for the formation, but also the maintenance, of hurricanes.” As of early this morning, Bill’s eye swirled about 460 miles east of the Leeward Islands and moving west-northwest near 16 mph. In the flood-ravaged Haiti and the Dominican Republican, residents were happy to hear that another potential killer, tropical storm Ana, would leave the island of Hispaniola, which the two nations share, virtually unscathed this time.

Forecasters say that Hurricane Bill, the first hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic season, could develop into a monster over the next 48 hours. CNN weather watchers say that Bill will either miss or barely nip western Bermuda as it veers toward the northeastern seaboard. By Wednesday, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center, the storm could be churning wind and water at more than 110 miles per hour, which qualifies it as a major hurricane.