TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday continues to monitor a disturbance in the Caribbean that has a high chance of becoming a tropical storm on Tuesday.
At 8 a.m. ET, Potential Tropical Cyclone 6 was about 105 miles west of Guadeloupe and 270 miles east-southeast of Ponce, Puerto Rico with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. The system has been given a 90% chance of developing into a tropical storm over the next two days. Forecasters say it’s likely to become a tropical storm on Tuesday.
The system is expected to strengthen slightly as it moves near or over the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Monday. It’s forecast to weaken slightly once it nears Hispaniola on Wednesday.
Florida is in the cone of uncertainty, but it’s unclear how the state will be impacted. The National Weather Service said Monday that South Florida could see “widespread and heavy rain” late this week and over the weekend.
The system was expected to dump 2 to 4 inches on the Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Leeward Islands with some areas seeing isolated amounts of 6 inches. The rain in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands could lead to flash, urban, and small stream flooding and potential mudslides.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:
Puerto Rico, including Culebra and Vieques
U.S. Virgin Islands
Dominican Republic on the south coast from Punta Palenque
eastward and on the north coast from Cabo Frances Viejo eastward
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:
Martinique and Guadeloupe
Saba and St. Eustatius
Dominican Republic on the north coast from Cabo Frances Viejo to
the Dominican Republic/Haiti border
Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to
Gonaives
Turks and Caicos Islands
Southeastern Bahamas