Hurricane Bill Strengthens To Cat 4; NOAA Sends Plane To Have A Look

Miami, FL (AHN) – Hurricane Bill strengthened to a category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 135 miles per hour Wednesday morning, forecasters say they expect further strengthening over the next 24 hours.

A NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft is headed toward the storm to investigate Bill, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. advisory.

Bill is the first hurricane of the Atlantic Ocean storm season. It was about 460 miles east of the Leeward Islands moving west-northwest at a speed of 16 miles per hour and is expected to make a gradual turn toward the northwest over the next 24 to 48 hours.

Hurricane force winds extend up to 45 miles outward from the center and tropical force winds extend up to 175 miles outward. Bill is expected to begin affecting islands in the northeast Caribbean Sea and could pass between Bermuda and the eastern United States bringing ocean swells and riptides to those areas on Friday or Saturday.

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