By ELIZABETH ROBERTSHAMILTON, Bermuda -- Tropical Storm Leslie churned northward Sunday on a path expected to carry it east of wary Bermuda. With a strike growing less likely, the British territory's government pulled back on some of its storm preparations Saturday, but warned residents to keep alert in case of changes in Leslie.
"Bermuda seems to have escaped the worst of Tropical Storm Leslie," Wayne Perinchief, the national security minister, said Saturday, but he urged people to remain cautious.
The government dropped plans to close the airport, although major airlines had canceled flights. Officials also decided not to open an emergency shelter but said the facility was ready in case it was needed.Bermuda, a financial haven and tourist destination about 600 miles (965 kilometers) off the U.S. East Coast, has strong building codes and its people are used to storms.
"I have taken precautions," said Gareth Kerr, 29. "The windows have the shutters across and I got supplies such as water and tinned food. If the weather is bad tomorrow I'll just sit indoors."
James Dodgson, a forecaster for the Bermuda Weather Service, cautioned that even with the storm likely to stay well offshore, there would be a chance of some flooding. He said a probable small storm surge of one or two feet could combine with high tide Sunday to cause minor flooding in low-lying areas.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm weakened slightly early Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 60mph (95 kph), below the hurricane threshold of 74 mph (120 kph).
Leslie was centered about 150 miles (240 kilometers) east-southeast of Bermuda and was moving north at 9 mph (15 kph).
Far out in the Atlantic, Hurricane Michael remained a category 2 storm but slowed a bit to maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (160 kph) and was not considered any threat to land. For a few hours Thursday, it was the first Category 3 of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Michael was moving north-northwest at 5 mph (7 kph).
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