Churning in the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Paulette is expected to become a hurricane on Saturday night (Sept 12) as it approaches Bermuda, according to the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC).
Paulette is located about 740km south-east of Bermuda but closing in at a speed of 24 kmh, the Miami-based centre said in an advisory.
The storm is forecast to make landfall on the self-governing British territory either Sunday night or Monday morning, bringing with it what the NHC described as "a prolonged period of strong winds, storm surge and heavy rainfall."
On Saturday, Paulette's winds had extended outward by up to 314km from its centre, with maximum sustained winds of 113kmh.
A category one hurricane has a minimum sustained wind speed of 74 miles per hour (118kmh) on the Saffir-Simpson scale.