Hurricane Bill to Pass East Coast, Head to Canada

Hurricane Bill could enter Canadian waters still packing winds of more than 160 km/h (100 mph) as it passes over one of the country's key oil production regions.

Bill, the first Atlantic hurricane of the season, weakened to a category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph) as it tracked between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda on Friday, Reuters informs.

The tropical storm warning included Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast, meaning tropical storm-force winds of 40 mph (64 kph) or more could hit in the next 24 hours. A tropical storm watch also remained in effect for Bermuda, though a hurricane watch was canceled.

Tourists gathered at Bermuda's pink sand beaches Friday to watch the powerful surf. Many shrugged off the threat of the approaching storm, but it apparently cut short a beachfront vacation for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, AP informs.

While the hurricane is forecast to eventually curve away from the U.S., a tropical storm warning was issued today for the coast of Massachusetts close to Cape Cod, from Woods Hole to Sagamore Beach, including Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, where President Barack Obama and his family are scheduled to travel tomorrow for a week’s vacation. The hurricane should also reach Canadian waters tomorrow.

"It will definitely be a hurricane when it reaches our Maritime waters Sunday,” said Peter Bowyer, a program supervisor at the centre in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. “At this point, it is still not possible to give all the specifics everyone wants," Bloomberg informs.