The United States National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Bill, the first hurricane of this year's Atlantic Season, has strengthened and is now a Category 4 storm, packing winds of up to 215 kilometres per hour.

This morning, the storm was 740 kilometres east of the Leeward Islands. Meteorologists say the hurricane is heading in the general direction of Bermuda, but it is impossible to predict where the storm will make landfall.

Ana, the first storm of the season, quickly dissipated into a tropical depression. The hurricane season began late this year; by August 2008, there has already been fired hurricanes in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Bill (Flickr/TopTechWriter.US)