After forming late Wednesday night, Tropical Storm Fiona is now about 425 miles (685 kilometers) east of the Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph).
According to the 5:00 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Fiona is moving toward the west at 14 mph (22 kph). Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles to the north of the center.
The westward motion is expected to continue over the next several days with some decrease in the forward speed by the weekend.
Fiona was expected to move through the Leeward Islands late Friday and then move near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend reports the New York Times.
Tropical storm watches were issued for islands including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the British Virgin Islands. Tropical storm watches mean that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area within 48 hours of being issued.
The biggest thing to be concerned about with Fiona right now is the amount of rain the storm may produce. Fiona is expected to produce Up to six inches of rain, with isolated amounts of 8 to 12 inches across portions of eastern Puerto Rico and eastern Hispaniola.
The National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico, said on Thursday that flash flood watches for the island and the U.S. Virgin Islands would be in effect through Sunday.
“We are not looking at rapid intensification at this point, just maybe a slow and steady increase in intensity as it marches towards the Leeward and Windward Islands,” said Jamie Rhome, the acting director of the Hurricane Center in Miami, during a midday update on Thursday.
He added that the high mountains of Hispaniola “could play a big part in where Fiona goes.”
The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June through November, had a relatively quiet start, with only three named storms before September.
There were no named storms in the Atlantic during August, the first time that had happened since 1997. But storm activity picked up in early September, with Danielle and Earl, which both eventually became hurricanes,
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an updated forecast for the rest of the season, which still calls for an above-normal level of activity. In it, they predicted the season could see 14 to 20 named storms, with six to 10 turning into hurricanes with sustained winds of at least 74 m.p.h.
