acking ferocious winds of 145 mph, "dangerous" Hurricane Gonzalo continued on a path toward Bermuda on Friday as a Category 4 storm.
The eye of the storm is expected to pass within 29 miles of the island as a Category 3 storm, close enough to be considered a direct hit, the Bermuda Weather Service said.
Tropical storm conditions should begin by Friday morning and the eye of Gonzalo was expected to be near Bermuda by Friday afternoon or evening, forecasters said.
"This is a very serious event," Dave Fox, a spokesman for the Bermuda government, said in a phone interview.
Even if the center of the hurricane doesn't make direct landfall, the tiny island will still have "damaging hurricane-force winds, torrential rainfall and very rough and dangerous surf," AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said.
Storm surge could also cause coastal flooding.
Preparations are well underway in Bermuda, The Royal Gazette newspaper reported.
"We have weathered storms before, and we are well versed in how to manage our homes and our property," Premier Michael Dunkley said. "I urge people to err on the side of safety every time."
Bermudans were still cleaning up from Tropical Storm Fay last weekend, which knocked out power to most of the island.
People have stripped the island's hardware stores of generators, batteries, candles and other items and picked up free tarpaulin distributed by the government.
The island's L.F. Wade International Airport closed Thursday night and is likely to remain shuttered until at least Saturday.
Though far offshore, waves from Gonzalo will bring the danger of rough surf and rip currents to beaches along the U.S. East Coast through Saturday.
As of early Friday, Gonzalo was centered about 295 miles south-southwest of Bermuda and was moving north-northeast at 15 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
After passing Bermuda, Gonzalo is forecast to be on a track toward Newfoundland, Canada, and could cause widespread power outages, flooding, downed trees and rough surf Saturday afternoon and evening, AccuWeather said.
Earlier this week, Gonzalo carved through the Caribbean, leaving one person dead and 12 others injured. The storm caused structural damage to homes on St. Maarten, Antigua and other Caribbean islands, the Weather Channel reported.
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