In a note sent to newsrooms, the Horta (Faial) harbour master, Paulo Rafael da Silva, ordered the closure of the ports of Horta, Velas and Calheta, on the island of São Jorge to all navigation from 10 p.m. Tuesday, while in Pico the ports of Madalena, São Roque and Lajes are also going to be closed.

The ports of Casa, in Corvo, and those of Poças and Lajes, in Flores, will also be closed.

Furthermore, the maritime authority also closed all fishing centres and small ports, the note said.

The first effects of hurricane "Lorenzo", currently a category 2 storm, should start to be felt from Tuesday night in the west and central groups in the Azores, with strong wind, rough sea and rain.

According to the Carlos Ramalho, a meteorologist from the country’s weather institute, as the hurricane approaches there will be a gradual worsening of the weather, but the two islands in the western group of the archipelago should be the hardest hit.

According to a statement the institute issued, hurricane "Lorenzo" - a category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale (which runs from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most intense level) - was approximately 1,000km southwest of the island of Flores, moving northeast at a speed of 35km/h.

The institute said that if the forecasts of the trajectory are maintained, the centre of the hurricane should drop to category 1 on Wednesday, slightly west of Flores, affecting the Western group especially.

However, the whole archipelago will feel the effects of the hurricane.