Hurricane Noel was due to pass its closest to Bermuda early today, with gale force winds, rain and possibly thunder likely to continue.

The weather system was due to be 357 nautical miles to the west-northwest of the Island at 2 a.m. The hurricane was also losing its tropical status late yesterday as it continued to churn in the Atlantic.

The Bermuda Weather Service believes conditions will improve through tomorrow and into Monday.

However, meteorologist Nicole Hannon warned last night that even if Noel becomes extra-tropical - making it more akin to a winter storm - it doesn't mean the winds will ease.

At 6 p.m last night Hurricane Noel was located some 397 miles west-southwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 70 to 85 knots (80 to 97 miles per hour).

Its onslaught caused the cancellation of St. George's and Watford Bridge Ferry services yesterday. Despite an advisory issued to cyclists by the Ministry of Public Safety, the Causeway was not closed.

Ms. Hannon said: "(Today) the winds will get a little stronger but not as strong as we were anticipating on Thursday. Today, I'm going for 30 to 40 knots (34 to 46 miles per hour)."

American Airlines' New York and Miami flights have been cancelled for today. Instead, they were due to depart at 10 p.m. and 9.15 p.m. last night, respectively.

"Only certain airlines cancel flights when winds are about this speed," explained Ms Hannon. "Some airlines can't fly when winds are 30 to 40 knots - and we've gusted over that. It depends on what type of aircraft. Some airlines can fly during higher wind speeds."

According to C-Travel, one of the Island's biggest travel agents, American Airlines was the only airline affected by the storm.