Hurricane Gonzalo, the strongest Atlantic hurricane in three years, is poised to deliver a direct hit on Bermuda by the end of the week and potentially eastern Canada over the weekend.
Gonzalo was a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday evening, with sustained winds of 125 mph, which is a "major" hurricane.
(Major hurricanes are Category 3, 4, or 5 hurricanes on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale and have wind speeds of at least 111 mph). It was a Category 4 storm for a few hours Wednesday, with 130 mph winds.
A direct hit on Bermuda could happen late Friday night into Saturday with sustained winds of 120 mph and higher gusts possible, reports AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Late Wednesday, the L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda announced it will close Thursday night and will likely remain closed through most of Saturday.
As of 5 p.m. ET, Gonzalo was located about 610 miles south-southwest of Bermuda and was moving toward the northwest at 10 mph. A hurricane warning was posted for Bermuda.
Hardware stores were inundated with shoppers Tuesday as the island prepared for the arrival of Gonzalo, according to the Royal Gazette, a newspaper on Bermuda.
"We sold out of generators this morning (Tuesday), and items like batteries, tarp and ropes have been flying off the shelf," said Mark Stearns, a hardware store general manager. "Everything that is on the hurricane list has been going fast and furious.
"People are definitely nervous about this storm," he told the newspaper.
TRACK STORM: Check the projected path of Hurricane Gonzalo
Extra crews from Caribbean utility companies could be called in to help local power provider Belco deal with the aftermath of Gonzalo, the Gazette reported.
Bermuda is a British Independent Overseas Territory but enjoys significant autonomy, according to the U.S. State Department.
The last major hurricane to directly hit Bermuda was Fabian in 2003, National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.
There have been 11 major hurricanes passing within 60 nautical miles of Bermuda, with records going back to 1851, Feltgen said. "Nine were Category 3, the other two were Category 4 (in 1939 and 1948)."
After hitting Bermuda, Gonzalo could also brush Newfoundland in far eastern Canada by Sunday.
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