Tropical Storm Fiona threatened to drop up to 16 inches of rain in portions of Puerto Rico on Saturday, as forecasters issued a hurricane watch for the U.S. island and residents prepared for the possibility of landslides, major floods, and power outages. Saturday morning, the storm was located 145 miles southeast of St. Croix with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.
It was traveling west at 13 mph on a predicted route that would bring it close Puerto Rico. Forecasters cautioned that when Fiona goes across Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, it could approach hurricane strength.
Fiona is predicted to pass through the Dominican Republic on Sunday as a possible hurricane and Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Monday and Tuesday as a hazard of heavy rainfall.
The southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engao westward to Cabo Caucedo and the northern coast from Cabo Engao westward to Puerto Plata are under a hurricane watch.
Authorities in Puerto Rico opened shelters, closed beaches, theaters, and museums, and urged residents to remain indoors.
This NOAA-provided satellite image shows Tropical Storm Fiona in the Caribbean on September 17, 2022. NOAA via AP
Dr. Gloria Amador, who leads a non-profit health group in central Puerto Rico, stated, “It’s time to activate your emergency plan and contact and assist your relatives, especially older folks who live alone.”
As Fiona pummeled the region, at least one cruise liner visit and numerous flights to the island were canceled, and authorities in the eastern Caribbean islands canceled school and prevented anyone from engaging in aquatic sports.
Authorities on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe reported wind gusts of up to 74 miles per hour, which is the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane. In addition, they reported that nine inches of rain poured in three hours in the Gros Morne region.
Fiona, the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, was expected to dump 5 to 10 inches of rain to eastern and southern Puerto Rico, with up to 16 inches in isolated locations. The Dominican Republic was predicted to receive 4 to 8 inches of precipitation, with up to 12 inches in some areas. As a result of Fiona’s gusts, life-threatening surf was also predicted, according to forecasters.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lester in the eastern Pacific was predicted to make landfall Saturday evening near Acapulco on Mexico’s southwestern coast.
It was anticipated that Lester would remain a tropical storm until it reached the Mexican shore. Meteorologists warned of the threats posed by excessive rainfall.
Saturday morning, the storm produced maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. It was situated approximately 110 miles south of Acapulco and traveling 10 mph to the northwest.
From Puerto Escondido to Zihuatanejo, a tropical storm watch was issued. The hurricane center predicted that Lester might produce 3 to 6 inches of precipitation in western Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco states, with isolated regions receiving 1 foot.
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