Puerto Rico could be hit by a hurricane this week.
Less than two years after Hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged the island, Tropical Storm Dorian, the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, is moving in its direction. Some models show Dorian, which currently boasts maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, reaching hurricane strength as it nears the Caribbean.
A tropical storm reaches hurricane strength when it gets 74 mph maximum sustained winds, according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Tropical storm warnings have already been issued for islands such as Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines. Dorian is moving 14 mph and is still hundreds of miles out from these islands.
The National Hurricane Center said in its latest public advisory that it is “too soon to determine the specific time or magnitude of possible direct impacts in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or Hispaniola interests in those areas should monitor the progress of Dorian.”
Here are the 5 PM AST Key Messages on #Dorian, which is expected to intensify before reaching the Lesser Antilles late Monday into Tuesday. For more information see https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/vU4h9gapfB
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 25, 2019
Still, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said Dorian could head in the direction of Puerto Rico by midweek and “depending on its exact track and intensity, Dorian could cause flash flooding and mudslides across the islands middle to late week as 4-8 inches of rain may fall in some areas.”
The forecast comes as Axios reported Sunday that President Trump has suggested using nuclear bombs to prevent hurricanes from hitting the United States. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Hurricane Center has already dismissed this approach as being ineffective, and a good way to unleash radioactive fallout wherever the winds might carry it.
Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory of roughly 3.2 million Americans, is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017.
Soon after Irma passed north of Puerto Rico, causing major damage, Maria slammed the island as a Category 4 hurricane. It became one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history, blamed for roughly 3,000 deaths. Recovery efforts, which include rebuilding the power grid that was destroyed by Maria, have been hindered by poor infrastructure, political turmoil, and economic woes.
