Hurricane Bill kicks off 2009 season

Hurricane Bill — the first hurricane of a season that is already two-and-a-half months old — has formed in the Atlantic and is projected to be a “major” (Category 3) hurricane by Aug. 19, the National Hurricane Center predicts.
The hurricane is moving west-northwest, a projected path that would take it through Bermuda around Aug. 22.
Currently Hurricane Bill has maximum sustained wind speeds of between 90 km-h and 150 km-h.
“The oceanic and atmospheric environment continues to be favourable for intensification,” the Hurricane Center says in a statement, although as of yet there is “no evidence of an eye.”
As of press time, the Hurricane Center showed a minimal (3%) chance that remnants of Bill might hit Yarmouth, Nova Scotia with winds of between 39 km-h and 63 km-h during the forecast period ending on Aug. 22.
After a relatively quiet Atlantic storm season, Hurricane Bill and two other named storms, Tropical Depressions Ana and Claudette, all appeared within a short span of time.
The Hurricane Center describes Tropical Depression Ana, with sustained wind speeds of between 35 km-h and 55 km-h, as “poorly organized” and moving south of Puerto Rico. The Hurricane Center said its guess for Ana was “something of a hedge between a tropical storm and imminent dissipation,” although “the official forecast maintains Ana as a tropical cyclone through the forecast period.”
Tropical Depression Claudette, meanwhile, has caused flood and flash flood warnings as it dumps rain across the western Florida panhandle, tracking northwest through Alabama.