World

Puerto Rico and Florida in Dorian’s path as storm gains strength

Published

August 28, 2019

At the 8:00 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Dorian is nearing the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. St. Croix is already experiencing the outer rain bands from the storm.

Satellite imagery from NOAA’s GOES 16 satellite shows just how close the storm is to Puerto Rico, reports CNN. The island will begin to feel the effects of the storm later today.

This visible satellite animation from NOAA’s GOES16 shows TropicalStormDorian moving closer to the VirginIslands and PuertoRico this morning. Get the latest NHC_Atlantic update here: 3sDHWXKo5t

— NOAA Satellites PA (@NOAASatellitePA) August 28, 2019

Hurricane watches are now in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The government of the Dominican Republic has modified the watches and warnings and now a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from Isla Saona to Samana.

Dorian is located about 60 miles (95 kilometers) southeast of St. Croix, moving to the northwest at 13 mph (20 kph), with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph). The minimum central pressure is 1003 MB…29.62 inches. Some strengthening is expected today.

After passing over or near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday, Dorian is on track to head toward the southeastern Bahamas on Thursday, and near or to the east of the central and northwestern Bahamas on Friday and Saturday.

NHC

Dorian could weaken after passing over Puerto Rico and the islands, however, forecasters say it should strengthen later this week. It is still too early to have an accurate forecast for when Dorian could reach the East Coast of the U.S., however, spaghetti models show Dorian staying in the Atlantic to moving inland over Florida to entering the Gulf of Mexico next week.

Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands can expect 4 to 6 inches of rainfall with this storm, with isolated amounts of rain up to 10 inches. This rainfall may cause life-threatening flash floods.

Swells generated by Dorian are expected to increase later this morning across the U.S. and the British Virgin Islands and along the southern coasts of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, and they could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

In this article:dorian, Hurricane, labor day, mainland US, Puerto rico, Tropical storm

Written By Karen Graham

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.