Tropical Storm Earl could dump heavy rain on Puerto Rico, northeastern Caribbean
The National Hurricane Center said Sunday that Tropical Storm Earl could dump heavy rains with the potential for flooding in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Leeward Islands through Sunday night.
The storm, which had 50 mph winds as of 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, is turning northward and is expected to pass to the north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Earl is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated totals of 6 inches, across the Leeward Islands, U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico on Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Limited flash floods and mudslides are possible.
Earl is one of two named storms in the Atlantic at the moment. The other, Hurricane Danielle, the first named hurricane of the 2022 season, is located in the northern Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center said the slow-moving storm posed no threat to land.
August 2022 was the first time in 25 years that there was no named storm in the Atlantic, although the peak of the hurricane season is usually around Sept. 11. At the beginning of August, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an updated advisory that said it expected an above-average season, with 14 to 20 named storms expected before the season ends on Nov. 30. NOAA added that 6 to 10 of those storms could become hurricanes, and of those, three to five could become major hurricanes, defined as category 3 or stronger.