Storm Fiona poses threat for Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic
Tropical Storm Fiona passed near Guadeloupe on Friday evening and is expected to become a hurricane near the Bahamas next week.
MIAMI — Tropical Storm Fiona passed near Guadeloupe on Friday evening, hitting some of the Caribbean’s easternmost islands with strong rain and wind as forecasters warned the storm could later threaten Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic with dangerous rains.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Fiona was then likely to become a hurricane near the Bahamas next week.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lester in the eastern Pacific was on a projected path that could bring landfall near the Acapulco area on Mexico’s southwestern coast Saturday.
The center said Fiona would pass into the eastern Caribbean during Friday night and would then slow its forward movement. It was predicted to be close to Puerto Rico late Saturday and then cross over the Dominican Republic on Monday.
The forecast called for rainfall totals of as much as a foot (30 centimeters) in places across eastern and southern Puerto Rico and 16 inches (41 centimeters) in the eastern Dominican Republic. That much rain could cause flash floods and mudslides in higher terrain, and life-threatening surf was possible from Fiona’s winds, the hurricane center said.
Rating: 5