BOSTON -- National Hurricane Center forecasters said Hurricane Kyle has formed in the Atlantic Ocean and it's expected to pass near eastern New England.

Maine Emergency Management Agency Director Robert McAleer said authorities expect the state to see the worst late Sunday or early Monday, with wind gusts as high as 60 mph and waves of 15 to 20 feet.

It is the first hurricane watch for the state in 17 years.

Kyle had top sustained winds near 75 miles per hour. The storm is moving north in the open Atlantic at 23 mph and could make landfall anywhere from Maine to Nova Scotia.

Kyle "will pass within 90 miles of Cape Cod, but for Massachusetts the strongest winds will remain offshore," forecast Storm Team 5 meteorologist Mike Wankum.

"Kyle is a very compact storm, so hurricane force winds only extend outward about 70 miles from the center. However, there is the possibility for some tropical storm force wind gusts over the outer Cape and the Islands," he predicted.

A hurricane watch is in effect for the Maine coast from Stonington north to Eastport. Hurricane conditions are possible in that area late Sunday or Monday.

A tropical storm warning is in effect from Port Clyde south to Cape Elizabeth, an area that includes Portland.