Tropical Storm Earl was expected to bring two to four inches of rain over the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico through the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm, which formed late on Friday, was about 70 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands and moving west-northwest at 13 miles per hour, forecasters said in an update Saturday morning.
A storm is given a name after it reaches wind speeds of at least 39 m.p.h. Earl’s maximum sustained winds were near 40 m.p.h. as of 11 a.m. Saturday.
While no weather-related warnings or watches have been issued, forecasters warned that flash flooding and gusty winds, especially in squalls, were possible over the islands throughout the weekend. Meteorologists also said that mudslides in areas of steep terrain are possible in Puerto Rico. Some areas could get up to six inches of rain.
The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to November, has had a relatively quiet start, with only three named storms before this week. And there were no named storms in the Atlantic during August, the first time that has happened since 1997.
Since Thursday, two tropical storms have formed: Earl, and Tropical Storm Danielle, which briefly became the season’s first hurricane before weakening on Saturday.
In early August, scientists at NOAA issued an updated forecast for the rest of the season, which still predicted an above-normal level of activity. In it, they said that the season — which runs through Nov. 30 — could see 14 to 20 named storms, with six to 10 turning into hurricanes with sustained winds of at least 74 m.p.h. Three to five of those could strengthen into what NOAA calls major hurricanes — Category 3 or stronger — with winds of at least 111 m.p.h.
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