Hurricane Bill heads towards US, Canadian coasts

Hurricane Bill, the first of the Atlantic storm season, barreled past Bermuda and churned toward the US and Canadian east coasts yesterday, sparking fears of life-threatening rip currents.

Packing winds of 160 kilometres per hour, the hurricane was set to head perilously close to the upscale island resort of Martha's Vineyard, where US President Barack Obama and his family are heading for vacation today.

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) warned that "large swells generated by Hurricane Bill are affecting the Bahamas and Bermuda and the southeast coast of the United States.

"Large swells will begin to affect much of the remainder of the US east coast and the Atlantic maritimes of Canada later (Saturday) and Sunday. These swells will likely cause extremely dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents," it warned.

But the center earlier downgraded the hurricane a notch to Category Two on the Saffir-Simpson scale, meaning the storm threatens to cause widespread damage but does not carry the same potential to destroy homes as a Category Three storm.

Still, Environment Canada issued a tropical storm warnings for much of Nova Scotia's coast.

In the Dominican Republic, on the island of Hispaniola, authorities reported waves up to three metres due to Bill's passage.

Bermuda shut down its main international gateway, L.F. Wade International Airport, for the night as the tourist destination bunkered down.

But Bermuda avoided a direct hit from Bill which neared Massachusetts in time for the Obamas' arrival.

Yacht owners battened down the hatches at Martha's Vineyard, a popular island of tranquillity for the rich and famous where the US first family was due to spend a week unwinding for the first time since Obama's inauguration in January.

One of the most prominent people affected by the hurricane was coincidentally also named Bill - former US president Bill Clinton, who was taking a vacation in Bermuda with his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.