Hurricane Bill with 180kph winds has weakened slightly to a strong category 2 storm.

Bill continues moving over very warm waters and remains a dangerous hurricane. Minor strengthening is still possible.

Hurricane Bill is located south-southwest of Bermuda, while continuing to move quickly off to the northwest. Bill should make a more northerly turn later today.

Bill will track west of Bermuda and east of the Eastern U.S. Coast over the next few days.

A vigorous upper-level trough over the Great Lakes will continue to edge east this weekend. This will help to deflect Bill from any U.S. landfall. The upper level high farther out in the Atlantic will cause the hurricane to pass west of Bermuda. Despite no direct landfalls until possibly Newfoundland Monday, some impacts are being felt along the Eastern U.S. and Bermuda coasts.

Waves are already causing flooding and damage to roads and homes along the northern coast of the Dominican Republic.

Waves are becoming elevated from North Carolina to central Florida as large swells produced by Bill begin to reach the East Coast. Into the weekend, waves will spread northward into New England and increase in size.

For Bermuda, waves will peak late Friday into early Saturday, possibly reaching heights of 35 feet.

Although a direct impact to the U.S. and Bermuda is not expected, this hurricane still needs to be monitored closely. Any slight deviation to the right or left of the current forecast track could greatly alter the forecasts for the Island of Bermuda or southeastern New England.

As a precaution, a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning are now in effect for Bermuda.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, 2 tropical waves are supporting clusters of thunderstorms in the far eastern Atlantic and a third wave is about to move off the African coast.