NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) – Heavy rain and strong winds lashed the Bahamas yesterday as Tropical Storm Rita crossed the island chain, gathering strength as the system headed toward Cuba and the Florida Keys.

No damage was reported as the 17th named storm of the Atlantic season cleared most of the vulnerable island chain. But Rita still threatened the low-lying western island of Andros, the chain’s largest, forecasters said.

The Bahamas is accustomed to rough tropical weather and forecasters said the main threats were flooding and damaged roofs as the storm neared hurricane strength and bore down on the Florida Keys.

“The palm trees are swaying and we’ve got six to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 metres) waves. It’s very, very rough out there,” said Ray Mackie, the owner of Tranquility Hill fishing lodge on Andros.

Fishermen dragged their boats to dry land and some people shuttered their windows – a sign that that normally laid-back islanders were concerned about the threat posed by Rita, Mackie said.

“After what happened to New Orleans and the Gulf area, nobody is taking this storm lightly,” Mackie said.

Authorities in the island chain urged people to stay home, shutter their windows and secure loose items around their houses that could be carried off by the wind.

“We expect damage to roofs, damage to utility lines … trees blowing across the roadway,” said Bahamas chief meteorologist Arnold King.

Storm surge flooding of three to five feet (0.9 to 1.5 metres) was also possible along the coast of the northwestern Bahamas, which was under a hurricane warning, the US National Hurricane Centre said.

At 5:00 pm Rita had sustained winds near 70 mph (115 km/hr), the hurricane centre said. Tropical storms become hurricanes when their sustained winds reach 74 mph (119 km/hr).

The storm was moving west near 14 mph (23 km/hr) and centred about 130 miles (210 kilometres) east-southeast of Nassau, the Bahamian capital.

Tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 145 miles (230 kilometres).

Some public schools were closed throughout the Bahamas as the storm worked its way up the chain of islands. In the capital, Nassau, business went on as usual.

On central Grand Exhuma Island, Rita’s winds jostled palm trees along mostly abandoned streets, while the 183-room Four Seasons Resort gave staff the option of going home early until the storm passed.

“We told them they could go and be with their families if they wanted,” said Antoine Chahwan, general manager of the resort, which was still running normally. “We’re experiencing some wind and rain but everyone’s safe and sound.”

Rita dumped 3-5 inches (76-127 millimetres) of rain as it passed over the Turks and Caicos Islands on Sunday and was expected to bring up to 8 inches (203 millimetres) in isolated areas of central Bahamas, forecasters said.

A hurricane warning was issued for parts of Cuba and the Florida Keys and the extreme southern Florida peninsula, meaning hurricane conditions were possible for those areas in the next 24 hours, the US National Hurricane Centre said.

This is the fourth busiest season since record keeping began, according to the US centre. The season started June 1 and ends November 30.

Meanwhile, a storm system east of the Leeward Islands developed late Sunday into Hurricane Philippe, the eighth of the season, with maximum winds of 75 mph (120 km/hr). There was no immediate threat to land, authorities said.