All eyes were on Tropical Storm Fiona as it made its way west toward Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands before approaching the Dominican Republic.
Tropical storm warnings were issued Friday for several islands including Puerto Rico, where 4 to 8 inches of rain were forecast with maximum totals of up to 12 inches along the eastern and southern areas.
Tropical storm warnings were also issued for portions of the Dominican Republic, Saba and St. Eustatius, St. Marteen, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, Guadeloupe, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
Fiona's maximum sustained winds were 60 mph as it moved west at 14 mph about 55 miles west-northwest of Guadeloupe, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Gradual strengthening was expected over the next few days.
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Hurricane Season 2022
Fiona, which formed Wednesday, was expected to reach the Leeward Islands by Friday or Saturday, before moving west over both Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.
Forecasts have winds pushing some of the thunderstorms away from the system and eventually pushing it away from the United States after it intensifies to near hurricane strength.
Between three and eight inches of rain are expected for parts of the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, and eastern Hispaniola while some parts could see as much as 10 to 15 inches of rainfall. Flash flooding is possible for parts of the area, creating the concern for mudslides.
The last named system, Earl, became a Category 2 hurricane before dying out over the northern Atlantic last weekend.
Earl and the system before it, Hurricane Danielle, formed after just three other named storms formed in the first three months of this year’s season - far below the active seasons of the past several years.
