Hurricane Gonzalo barreled toward Bermuda Wednesday, threatening the tiny archipelago as residents were still repairing homes and clearing trees and power lines knocked down days earlier by a tropical storm.

Gonzalo briefly had top sustained winds of 130 mph, but has since been downgraded back to a category 3.

Tropical storm conditions are possible starting Thursday night.

Hurricane Gonzalo approached Bermuda as residents of the British territory coped with the aftermath of Sunday's Tropical Storm Fay.

More than 1,000 homes remained without power Wednesday and homeowners worked to repair damaged roofs. The government called 200 members of the Bermuda Regiment to help with cleanup efforts on the island of roughly 65,000 people.

Bermuda, some 850 miles east of South Carolina, has one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world and its strict building codes make structures particularly capable of withstanding storms.

Hurricane Gonzalo Advisory

11 p.m. — Gonzalo turns northward and aims at Bermuda.

Watches and Warnings

Changes with this advisory:

None

Summary of watches and warnings in effect: 

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:
*Bermuda

A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area, iand is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrance of tropical-storm-force winds. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. 

Discussion and 48-hour outlook

At 11 p.m., the eye of Hurricane Gonzalo was located near latitude 24.6 north, longitude 68.7 west. Gonzalo is moving toward the northnear 9 mph. A turn toward the north-northeast is expected by late Thursday. Gonzalo is forecast to move near Bermuda on Friday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 120 mph, with higher gusts. Gonzalo is a Category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Fluctuations in intensity are common in major hurricanes, and are likely to occur with Gonzalo over the next day or so. A more steady weakening should begin by late Friday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 953 mb, or 28.15 inches.

Hazards affecting land

Wind: Hurricane conditions are possible over Bermuda on Friday with tropical storm conditions possible by late Thursday night. Wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of elevated terrain are often up to 30 percent stronger than at the surface.

Storm Surge: A dangerous storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding in Bermuda; coastlines will be hit by large and destructive waves.

Rainfall: Gonzalo is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 6 inches over Bermuda.

Surf:
Large swells generated by Gonzalo are affecting portions of the Virgin Islands, the northern coasts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and portions of the Bahamas. Swells will reach much of the east coast of the United States and Bermuda on Thursday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Next advisory

Complete advisory: 5 a.m.