Tropical Storm Emily Eyes Puerto Rico

Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 5:55 am (UTC-5)
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U.S. weather forecasters say Tropical Storm Emily could threaten several countries in the Caribbean Sea.

Storm watches or warnings have been issued for areas including Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Forecasters expect the storm to bring up to 10 centimeters of rain to the Leeward and Windward islands and 15 centimeters to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The hurricane center says enough rain is forecast to bring flash floods and mud slides in areas that have already experienced heavy rainfall.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Emily is heading in a westerly direction with 65 kilometer-per-hour winds and that it is expected to strengthen gradually during the next 48 hours. Emily is forecast to turn toward the west-northwest. On its current track, the storm is about 390 kilometers southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In the eastern Pacific, Hurricane Eugene is now a category one storm, but is predicted to weaken by Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was located about 1,000 kilometers south of the southern tip of Baja California, moving in a west-northwestern direction with 150 kilometer-per-hour winds.

No coastal watches or warnings have been issued have been issued for Hurricane Eugene as the storm should remain at sea.