Tropical storm warnings are in effect for several Caribbean islands, as Tropical Storm Dorian strengthens — and it could form into a Category 1 hurricane over Puerto Rico midweek, National Hurricane Center forecasts show.
Why it matters: Puerto Rico is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria. It declared bankruptcy in 2017 amid "the biggest government financial collapse in United States history."
Look at the line of people waiting for ‘Sams’ to open in Puerto Rico. They’re stocking up on supplies ahead of Tropical Storm Dorian, which may pass south of the island. The lady who sent me this video said “people in PR have PTSD”. People are advised: have 10 days of supplies. pic.twitter.com/L0d16yRXP5
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 25, 2019
The big picture: Dorian strengthened on Saturday to become the 4th tropical storm to form during this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, per AP.
- By 8pm Sunday, the center said Dorian was about 335 miles east-southeast of Barbados and packing 50 mph winds as it was moving west toward the Windward Islands.
- Forecast projections indicate Dorian would turn west-northwest by Monday through Tuesday night and become a Category 1 hurricane as it approached Puerto Rico on Wednesday afternoon.
Here are the 11 pm August 25th Key Messages on Tropical Storm #Dorian. Go to https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB for more details. pic.twitter.com/r6sN3TMZdE
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 26, 2019
Editor's note: This article has been updated with the latest on Dorian.
Go deeper: The Atlantic Basin's tropical storms and hurricanes in 2019
