World

Tropical Storm Leslie moved slowly northward Saturday after pausing to spin in place over the Atlantic, and forecasters expected it would regain strength and become a hurricane before passing to the east of Bermuda.

The latest forecasts pointed to the storm going by about 320 kilometres east-southeast of the British territory Sunday afternoon or evening as a Category 1 hurricane, the Bermuda Weather Service said.

"It appears that Bermuda will be spared a direct impact," Wayne Perinchief, the national security minister, said Friday. "However, I urge the public to remain cautious as there is the potential for the storm to re-intensify and change track, and we could experience heavy rain and winds in shower bands."

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Leslie had resumed forward movement after staying stationary Thursday night and into Friday. Saturday morning, the storm had top sustained winds of 100 kph, below the hurricane threshold of 120 kph.

Leslie was about 500 kilometres south-southeast of Bermuda and was moving north at 7 kph. The U.S. centre said it would likely strengthen Saturday and Sunday and was expected to begin gradually increasing its forward speed.

Out in the middle of the Atlantic and considered no threat to land, Hurricane Michael was a category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 160 kph. On Thursday, it was briefly the first Category 3 of the Atlantic hurricane season.