Tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, is headed for a close pass by Bermuda after deluging parts of Florida and causing three deaths in Cuba.
Alex strengthened over the Atlantic after becoming a tropical storm early on Sunday when it moved over the Atlantic following its trek across Florida, where it left streets flooded and motorists stranded in some cities Saturday.
The US National Hurricane Center said Alex had maximum sustained winds of 110km/h late on Sunday. It was centreed about 400 kilometres west of Bermuda and moving to the east-northeast at a brisk 44km/h.
The storm was expected to pass just north of Bermuda on Monday. A tropical storm warning was in effect on the island, where forecasters said it could drop 25 to 50mm of rain from late Sunday into Monday.
Bermuda's national security minister, Michael Weeks, said emergency services were monitoring the storm.
The storm system earlier killed three people in Cuba, damaged dozens of homes in Havana and knocked out electricity in some areas, authorities reported.
Parts of South Florida experienced road flooding from heavy rain and wind on Saturday.
Alex partially emerged from the remnants of Hurricane Agatha, which made landfall on on Mexico's southern Pacific Coast last week, killing at least nine people and leaving five missing as it moved over land.
The storm's appearance was unusually early for the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially began last Tuesday, but it is not unprecedented for Florida.
Australian Associated Press
