Janice R. Andrews
Due to the possibility of a tropical storm, Puerto Rico has taken extensive safety precautions. Authorities postponed the commencement of public school courses in the United States territory on Monday and alerted the National Guard. This choice was made in response to a warning from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) that a disturbance in the Atlantic Ocean is predicted to strengthen into a tropical storm by Monday night.
A tropical storm warning has been issued by the NHC for Puerto Rico, the British Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and a number of other Caribbean islands. Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, St. Martin, St. Barts, and St. Maarten are all included in this alert. The disturbance is presently 435 miles (700 kilometers) east-southeast of Antigua. It is traveling westward at 26 mph (43 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph).
According to French Caribbean officials, Guadeloupe is predicted to have a lot of rain on Monday, and the storm is scheduled to pass close to St. Barts and St. Martin soon after. The system is expected to move toward Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands by Tuesday night, with the potential to bring heavy rains and landslides.
Nino Correa, the commissioner of emergency management for Puerto Rico, stressed the significance of exercising caution at this time. During a press conference, Correa issued a warning: “We cannot let our guard down.” According to Ernesto Morales of the National Weather Service in San Juan, the storm may drop six to eight inches of rain, and in certain places, it may drop even more. Furthermore, as the storm moves into northeast Puerto Rico late Tuesday into early Wednesday, hurricane-force wind gusts are predicted.
Morales advised locals to be ready for anything, pointing out that the storm’s exact path is yet unknown. “This trajectory is not set in stone and will change,” he stated, emphasizing the need of keeping an eye on weather reports.
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. of the nearby U.S. Virgin Islands shared these ideas and cautioned citizens to be cautious throughout the hurricane. Bryan said, “This is a practice run to make sure we’re really prepared,” warning everyone that the storm season’s climax was still to come.
Ernesto, the fifth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, will be assigned if the disturbance intensifies as predicted. As the system moves northward into Bermuda by early Thursday, the NHC forecasts that it may develop into a hurricane. In fact, some analysts think that it may strengthen into a powerful Category 3 hurricane.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting an above-average number of storms because of record-high ocean temperatures, which coincides with an exceptionally active Atlantic hurricane season. This season, four to seven of the 17 to 25 named storms that NOAA expects might strengthen into significant hurricanes of a Category 3 or higher.
