LUQUILLO, Puerto Rico (AP) – Hurricane Frances brushed Puerto Rico with pounding surf and blustery winds Tuesday as its powerful vortex swirled offshore on a path for the Bahamas and the southeastern United States.

Frances strengthened to a dangerous Category 4 hurricane Tuesday, with sustained winds up to 140 mph.

Many Puerto Ricans remained in their homes and prepared to ride out the winds and rains on the fringes of the hurricane.

“We’re still recovering from the last floods in November. We’re a bit nervous,” said Fernando Morales, a truck driver who set his furniture on blocks to prevent damage. Last time, he said, water filled his home in the eastern town of Fajardo and destroyed all his belongings.

Surfers rode the hurricane’s crashing swells Tuesday, while some people concerned about coastal flooding sandbagged their doors.

Though little damage was expected in the U.S. territory, many offices and schools closed. Courts canceled session, and all 18 casinos in Puerto Rico were closed because government inspectors were sent home.

Offices and schools also were closed in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the hurricane brought rains and gusty winds.

The hurricane prompted tropical storm warnings for Puerto Rico, the British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands and the north coast of the Dominican Republic.

The Bahamas issued a hurricane warning for its southeastern islands and a hurricane watch for its central islands. The storm was expected to plow into the chain of more than 700 islands starting Wednesday or Thursday. A hurricane warning also was posted for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Bahamian government was urging people in the southeastern cays to move to larger islands, said Carl Smith, the national disaster coordinator. One of the most vulnerable islands was Great Inagua, with a population of about 600.

“We’re reminding people to get water, food supplies and batteries, and to know what shelter is close to their residence,” Smith said.

At least 14 flights from Puerto Rico were canceled, said Fred Sosa, the general manager of Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan. Still, skies were partly sunny.

“The brunt of the storm is forecast to pass north of Puerto Rico,” said Neil Stuart, a meteorologist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. “Of course it hasn’t exactly moved away from Puerto Rico, so we’re keeping a close eye on it.”

At 2 p.m. Tuesday, the hurricane was about 140 miles north-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was moving west at about 16 mph.

Hurricane-force winds extended outward 70 miles, while tropical storm-force winds extended 175 miles.

Forecasters warned U.S. residents from Florida to the Carolinas to monitor Frances – the third major hurricane of the Atlantic season, following Alex and Charley.

Carnival Cruise Lines said it had diverted four cruise ships. Royal Caribbean International said it rerouted at least three.

In Puerto Rico under darkening skies, a few people walked their dogs at the beach in Luquillo. Three tourists lounged by the pool at the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort in nearby Fajardo.

Another guest, Lora Applegarth – a 27-year-old teacher from Washington, D.C. – took a short walk outside before heading back into the lobby. She said she hopes the stormy weather will last a day or so “and then everything will be back to normal.”

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