Hurricane Florence pummeled Bermuda on Monday with pounding surf and powerful winds that knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses on the British island.
The force of the storm also peeled away the roofs of houses before churning past the island and heading out over open waters. The government, however, said there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.
At last report, the storm was centered 315 kilometers north of Bermuda, moving toward the north-northeast at 26 kilometers per hour. It was expected to weaken overnight.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Florence has created large ocean swells and dangerous surf conditions, including strong rip currents, along the Bahamas and parts of the eastern United States and Canadian Maritime provinces.
Florence is the second hurricane of this year's Atlantic hurricane season.
Meanwhile, forecasters have upgraded a tropical depression into Tropical Storm Gordon, the seventh named storm of the season. Gordon was nearly 700 kilometers northeast of the Leeward Islands and expected to strengthen.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.