SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The outer bands of distant Hurricane Humberto lashed Bermuda on Tuesday ahead of a more direct pass from the newer and stronger Hurricane Imelda on the tiny British territory.

Humberto was passing well north of the island in the north Atlantic, but wind gusts and some rain were forecast into Wednesday.

Imelda had maximum sustained winds of 140 kph (85 mph) late Tuesday and its center was expected to be near the island Wednesday evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

A hurricane warning for Bermuda was in effect ahead of Imelda, which was expected to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane, according to the Bermuda Weather Service.

“I cannot overstate the seriousness of this threat,” Michael Weeks, Bermuda’s minister of national security, said

See Full Page