Hurricane Kyle heads for Maine, Maritimes

SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Kyle gained strength Saturday, bulking up from a tropical storm to a hurricane as it headed for northern Maine and the Canadian Maritimes, forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued an unusual hurricane watch for the northeast Maine coast. The storm was expected to make landfall Sunday somewhere near the international border.

At 11 p.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Kyle was about 355 miles south of Nantucket, Mass., and 555 miles south-southwest of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The Category 1 hurricane was moving to the north at about 23 mph and was expected to turn toward the north-northeast Saturday night and Sunday. It is forecast to be near eastern New England or the Canadian Maritimes late Sunday.

Kyle had sustained winds of near 75 mph with higher gusts. Some additional strengthening was considered possible over the next 24 hours.

A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch were issued for parts of the Maine coast. The Canadian government issued a hurricane watch for southern Nova Scotia and a tropical storm warning for parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Hurricane force winds were blasting up to 70 miles from the storm's eye and tropical storm force winds extended up to 205 miles east of the center.

Those winds were expected to push tides one to two feet higher than normal, and possibly higher. Large and dangerous battering waves are expected along the coast.

Kyle was still a tropical storm when it passed Bermuda, sparing the island a direct hit.