MIAMI – Hurricane Fabian (search) forged across the Atlantic Ocean with powerful wind Tuesday on a curving course expected to take it north of the northeastern Caribbean islands.
Forecasters expected the storm to turn more to the northwest by Wednesday.
"That would make it a bit less likely to hit Florida," said Jack Beven, hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center (search) in Miami. "We do anticipate that the hurricane will turn away and miss the U.S."
Fabian poses the largest threat to Bermuda, Beven said.
At 11 p.m. EDT, the hurricane's center was located about 225 miles north-northeast of St. Martin in the northern Leeward Islands. Fabian was carrying maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, making it a dangerous Category 4 hurricane. The storm was moving northwest at 9 mph.
Forecasters said it was likely to create large swells and dangerous surf conditions for the Northern Leewards, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Jimena (search) continued weakening Tuesday out in the open Pacific after churning surf and pelting the Hawaiian Islands with heavy rain.
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