Bermuda was last night warned that Hurricane Michelle had the potential to close the Island down again tomorrow - just three weeks after Storm Karen brought damage and destruction to our shores.

The Bermuda Weather Service said last night that people should not be lulled into a false sense of security because the deadly Michelle had moved further to our south.

As of last night, she was expected to bring tropical storm force winds to the Island, starting between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. tonight, with the most severe weather hitting in the early hours tomorrow.

Winds of between 35 and 50 knots are expected, with gusts up to 70 knots, which could result in some damage to properties and a loss of power.

And both the weather service and the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO) urged people to be prepared and to take the usual hurricane precautions to ensure they are not caught out, like many people last month.

Michelle has already wreaked havoc in Cuba and parts of Central America and Jamaica, where 12 people died and thousands had to be evacuated, and was at one point on course to directly hit Bermuda.

However, yesterday it changed track slightly, moving further south. Its closest point, at about 3 a.m. tomorrow, is now expected to be 170 nautical miles to the south-southeast of Bermuda.

The Bermuda Weather Service said at 5 a.m. this morning that the storm was 27.2 degrees North, 71.7 degrees West or 475 nautical miles southwest of Bermuda and was moving east-northeast at 18 knots and was packing winds at its centre of 75 knots gusting to 90 knots.

Labour and Public Safety Minister Terry Lister, who is also chairman of the EMO, urged the public to tune into the weather forecasts throughout today, and to check the blue pages of the telephone directory for hurricane advice.

But he said that all transportation, schools and businesses would operate as normal today.

The EMO will continue to monitor developments throughout the day, and if conditions alter, they will notify the public of any changes.

Residents are asked to secure their homes and outdoor furniture, and to take all pets indoors. Boat owners are advised to take in their vessels to prevent the kind of significant marine damage that resulted from the last storm three weeks ago.

Last night meteorologist James Morrison said although Bermuda was no longer on hurricane watch, the Island would still feel significant effects from Michelle if it continued on its present course.

He said: "I think it's possibly going to start Tuesday evening, between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

"Michelle has changed course slightly, and is looking as though she will track about 170 miles to our south, but people should still take precautions.

"When a storm is 600 miles away, it is difficult to know what will happen between now and then. It's still far enough away for it to go further away from Bermuda, or equally, for it to come closer to us.

"It's not likely to speed up to a hurricane again because the eye is going through the stages of maturity, but it could scale down further.''