A hurricane watch has been issued for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with the approach of Tropical Storm Gonzalo, which is forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane later Monday or early Tuesday.
A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the next 24 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is not predicted to impact the U.S. mainland, though it could impact Bermuda by the weekend, the Weather Channel reported.
Gonzalo buffeted the island of Antigua on Monday, downing trees, knocking out power and tearing roofs from homes as the system moved through the eastern Caribbean. No injuries or deaths have been reported.
As of 11 a.m. ET, the center of Gonzalo was about 10 miles northwest of Antigua and 220 miles southeast of St. Thomas. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and was moving toward the west at 10 mph.
STORM TRACKER: Track Gonzalo
"It is strengthening very slowly," said Scott Stripling, a meteorologist tracking the storm from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. "It's not out of the question that we could see it become a hurricane later this evening or tonight."
A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when its sustained winds reach 74 mph.
Gonzalo is expected to bring 4 to 8 inches of rain to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and to Puerto Rico, with some spots picking up as much as a foot of rain. Life-threatening mudslides and flash flooding are possible, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Andy Mussoline.
It is the seventh named storm of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season.
The last hurricane that crossed Puerto Rico was Hurricane Irene on Aug. 22, 2011, which reached hurricane strength while it was moving over the island, according to Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the hurricane center.
The last hurricane whose center crossed the Virgin Islands is Hurricane Debby on Aug, 22, 2000, Feltgen said.
Over the weekend, Tropical Storm Fay knocked out power to thousands in Bermuda before moving out over the open ocean.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1w3NgZy
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Hurricane watch issued for Puerto Rico as Gonzalo nears
Dengan url
http://radiostreamlink.blogspot.com/2014/10/hurricane-watch-issued-for-puerto-rico.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Hurricane watch issued for Puerto Rico as Gonzalo nears
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Hurricane watch issued for Puerto Rico as Gonzalo nears
sebagai sumbernya
Posting Komentar