Canadian Maritimes Brace for TS Kyle

Tropical Storm Kyle was approaching hurricane status as it passed west of Bermuda Saturday, officials said.

A tropical storm warning remained in effect as the storm passed the island, CNN reported. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were about 70 mph, which was just 4 mph short of hurricane strength.

Meteorologists said they predict the storm will make landfall along the Maine-Canada border Sunday or Monday, possibly as a Category 1 hurricane.

The storm was moving to the north-northwest at about 15 mph.

Environment Canada forecasters said Kyle would come off the Atlantic Ocean Sunday night or early Monday morning near Saint John, New Brunswick, bringing rains of 2 to 4 inches and wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour.

Although it was considered a dangerous storm, forecasters said Kyle’s impact in the Canadian maritimes wouldn’t match the hit taken from last year’s post-tropical storm Noel, officials told ChronicleHerald.ca. That storm caused serious damage in sections of Nova Scotia last November.