beginning to affect the U.S. East Coast , where dangerous rip currents and battering waves were developing , said CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras . Rip currents form as wind and waves push water against the shore , where it is caught behind an obstacle such as a sandbar until it breaks free , sending a strong channel of water flowing away from the shoreline . The large swells are expected to affect most of the U.S. East Coast within the next couple of days , the hurricane center said . There were reports of waves at the center of the storm as high as 54 feet , Jeras said . With Bill advancing , the Bermuda Weather Service forecasts the storm tide will raise water levels by as much as 3 feet along the coast and produce large , battering waves . Large swells were affecting Puerto Rico , the island of Hispaniola and the Bahamas to the south , the agency said . Bermuda remained under a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch . The warning means winds of at least 39 mph are expected within 24 hours , while the watch indicates winds of at least 74
MIAMI , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hurricane Bill weakened Friday afternoon to a Category 2 hurricane , with its maximum sustained winds at 105 mph , forecasters said . Hurricane Bill is expected to pass between Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast over the weekend . As of 11 p.m. Friday , Bill 's center was about 180 miles west-southwest of Bermuda , and about 545 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras , North Carolina . Its forward speed had increased to about 20 mph as it continued moving north-northwest , forecasters said . The storm was expected to gradually turn toward the north late Friday and into Saturday . See Bill 's projected path '' If the storm follows its current track , it should pass over the open water between Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast on Saturday , forecasters said . Earlier Friday , Bill 's outer bands began producing rain in Bermuda as the storm neared the British territory , the hurricane center said . Forecasters expect Bill to pelt Bermuda with 1 to 3 inches of rain , although up to 5 inches is possible . iReport.com : Bermuda 's preparations The storm also was