From the Government Department of Communication & Information (DCI) - The Causeway will be closed to all motor vehicles from Midnight tonight until 8:00 a.m. Saturday, 2 January 2010.

The decision was made in the interest of public safety following a meeting by the Emergency Measures Organisation late this afternoon.

Acting Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing, the Hon. Walter Roban, JP, MP urged members of the public to heed the stormy weather warning and to stay indoors if possible between the hours of midnight and 8a.m. when the worst of the stormy weather is forecast to pass by the Island.  The Minister said Bermuda will experience very strong and sudden wind gusts so it is advisable that residents secure boats and loose objects around their homes, such as lawn furniture. Minister Roban reiterated that safety of everyone is a priority and that persons on cycles should exercise extreme care and caution.

The Bermuda Weather Service will continue to monitor the situation overnight and the Causeway will reopen only when it has been deemed safe to cross.

It is anticipated that the strong winds will affect aircraft arrivals and departures and travelers are encouraged to contact their relevant airlines for further updates.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism and Transport advised that early morning bus service will be affected, in particular, routes of buses that that normally travel over the Causeway before 8:00a.m. 

The Storm Warning was issued earlier today for Bermuda and the local Marine area, valid for late tonight as stormy weather is predicted to bring sustained wind speeds occasionally around 50 knots, with gusts as high as Hurricane force (64 knots or greater). Weather forecasters have also advised of the potential for Severe Thunderstorms along the front, which will pass early Saturday morning.

It is expected that the Island will experience the onset of South to southwest Gale Force winds (34 knots or greater, beginning around 9:00p.m. tonight and lasting through Sunday.

According to the timeline issued this morning by the Bermuda Weather Service, there will be occasional periods of South to Southwest Storm force winds (48 knots or greater) any time between 3am tonight, and around 8am. During this period, residents should expect at least one instance of Hurricane-force (64 knots or greater) instantaneous gusts, especially in exposed or elevated locations with the possibility of Severe Thunderstorms.

There will then be a brief lull in the winds back down to 25-35 knots (still Gale Warning conditions) just after the front 7:00 or 8:00am tomorrow morning, when they will veer to west to northwest.

Winds will increase again back to a more solid Gale Force late morning Saturday, and continue through the weekend. Occasional gusts to 50 knots are still expected during the remainder of the weekend.

The latest conditions, forecasts and warnings, are available on the web at www.weather.bm or via telephone by dialing 977, 9771, 9772 or 9773.

For further Public Safety Advisories tune to 100.1 FM; CITV or log on to www.gov.bm