ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) -- Residents stocked up on groceries, flashlights and plywood to board up windows and doors ahead of Hurricane Felix, which gathered strength early Sunday and was forecast to pass just north of the Dutch Caribbean island.

The storm was upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane Saturday evening, becoming the second Atlantic hurricane of the season.

It had sustained maximum winds of at least 80 mph early Sunday. A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch were in effect for Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

At 2 a.m. EDT, Felix was centered about 45 miles northeast of Bonaire and 145 miles east of Aruba and was moving westward at about 18 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Forecasters said satellite images showed Felix steadily expanding in size.

Earlier in the day Felix brought heavy rains and strong winds to Grenada as a tropical storm, snapping small boats loose from their moorings, temporarily knocking out local radio and TV stations and toppling utility lines. No injuries were reported.