HALIFAX – Hurricane Cristobal has the North Atlantic in its sights.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax says the storm is racing northeastward toward the Grand Banks off Newfoundland.

It’s packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour.

Cristobal is expected to stay out at sea, but the centre says it will merge with a slow-moving cold front that’s passing over the Atlantic provinces.

Forecasters say the combination could result in wind and rain in excess of 50 millimetres in parts of the region starting today and continuing Friday.

Ocean swells are expected along coastal areas of Nova Scotia and southern Newfoundland.