The first hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season formed Monday night NZT.  As of 9pm NZT Hurricane Bill was a category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale (out of 5).

Bill is moving quickly west north west at 35km/h.  His maximum sustained winds are 120km/h with gusts even higher.  Much like Hurricane Andrew in 1992 Bill has formed around the same time and is expected to continue to strengthen – possibly becoming a major hurricane in a day or two.

Hurricane force winds extend 45kms from the centre.

Tropical storm winds extend 230km/h.

Hurricane Bill will pose a risk to the United States of America next week and the island nations between Florida and South America over the coming days.