Tropical Depression Isaac drenches Puerto Rico, sparks power outages
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Power outages were reported across Puerto Rico Friday morning as Tropical Depression Isaac dropped rain across the U.S. territory. Maximum sustained winds Friday morning were near 35 mph with higher gusts.
The tropical storm remnants are passing south of the island and moving west across the Caribbean region.
The National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. ET advisory that up to 5 inches of rain could fall in Puerto Rico.
"Isaac is expected to produce additional rainfall of 2 to 3 inches with isolated maximum totals of up to 5 inches across southeast Puerto Rico," the center said. "Rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches with maximum amounts of 3 inches are possible across the remainder of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Leeward Islands and the northern Windward Islands."
"Rainfall totals of 2 to 3 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 4 inches are possible across the south-central portion of the Dominican Republic, southwest Haiti and Jamaica," it said. "This rainfall may cause life-threatening flash floods."
The hurricane center said Isaac is expected to weaken in the coming few days.
Puerto Rico is still trying to recover from Hurricane Maria nearly a year after the Category 4 storm hit. The death toll in the wake of that storm was estimated at nearly 3,000 people.
The island's power grid remains fragile, and nearly 60,000 homes still have makeshift roofs not capable of withstanding a Category 1 storm.
