140 mph hurricane heads for Bahamas

A 140 mph hurricane that is growing in strength is expected to plough through the Bahamas tonight before heading for Florida, still cleaning up after Hurricane Charley.

As Hurricane Frances drew nearer to the Bahamas, it was expected to fluctuate in intensity and could become a Category 5 storm with winds Of 156 mph or higher, said Jamie Rhome, a meteorologist for the National Hurricane Centre in Miami.

The hurricane could hit anywhere from South Florida to South Carolina as early as Friday, he said.

“This still is a huge threat to the south-east US coast,” Rhome said. “All indications for now is that Florida is the prime candidate.”

“There’s a tremendous amount of uncertainty,” he added. “I don’t think anyone’s off the hook yet.”

The prospect of another powerful hurricane had Florida residents thinking of stocking up on supplies or fleeing. State and federal emergency officials were getting ready to repeat a disaster response.

“With top sustained winds of 145 mph, Charley destroyed or heavily damaged more than 30,000 homes.

It was estimated to cost insurers more than £4bn (€5.9bn).