but forecasters warned last night that the storm could then swing back towards the Island.

And Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox yesterday urged residents to use the weekend to prepare for the high winds which are expected to strike the Island on Monday and Tuesday.

Last night's update from the Bermuda Weather Service positioned the Category Four storm some 836 nautical miles to the southeast of the Island.

She was harbouring winds of 115 knots with gusts to 140 knots.

These extend outside of the 35-mile-wide eye to a radius of about 120 nautical miles.

While Gert is forecast to diminish in strength to a Category Three storm and is forecast to head in a more westerly direction over the weekend, meteorologist Kimberley Stevenson said this was no reason to think the Island was out of danger.

"The 72 hour forecast is deceptive in that it makes it look like the hurricane is veering away,'' she said.

"In fact,'' she continued, "we are expecting the storm to re-curve to the northwest once it has passed by our south.'' This means that, depending on how soon she starts curving around, Gert may affect the Island considerably by the beginning of next week.

Ms Stevenson added that the hurricane's strongest winds are to be found on its eastern side.

She said: "This is a worse state of affairs than if the storm had curved off to our east because it means we'll be exposed to Gert's strongest side.'' Accordingly the already rough seas are expected to rise over the weekend, increasing outside the reef to 12 to 16 feet by Monday.

Ms Stevenson said that the next 24 hours were critical in deciding how much Bermuda would be affected.

She appealed to the public to make preparations over the weekend for what could be "some very strong winds and high seas''.

"People should pay close attention to the different weather broadcasts and updates. They can get information on the phone by calling 977-3 or they can find our website at www.weather.bm.'' Ms Stevenson's warnings were joined by a statement from Emergency Measures Organisation chairman Ms Cox who said: "Gert is a threat to Bermuda and the public is strongly urged to use the weekend to make sensible preparations.'' She added that the EMO met yesterday afternoon and decided that "Bermuda could experience tropical or hurricane conditions on Monday or Tuesday''.

Ms Cox urged Bermudians to use the next couple of days wisely and added: "Please refer to the hurricane preparations procedures as outlined in the Government Blue Pages of the Telephone Directory and locate the Government Emergency Broadcast Station on your radio at 100.1 FM.'' Additionally, residents will have the opportunity to sort out insurance business before the beginning of next week.

Due to Hurricane Gert's approach, BF&M General Insurance Co. will be open for business today between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to allow customers to check their policies.