MIAMI — Tropical Storm Grace was downgraded to a tropical depression Sunday afternoon as it lost speed and strength while moving west over the Caribbean sea just south of Puerto Rico.
The National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. EDT advisory that the system is still forecast to produce heavy rainfall that could bring flooding and mudslides on Monday to Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Tropical Storm warning for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands has been discontinued, and the government of the Dominican Republic has changed its Tropical Storm Warning to a Tropical Storm Watch. A Tropical Storm Watch for the entire coast of Haiti is still in effect.
Grace whizzed south of Puerto Rico on Sunday, with bands of rain going over the island. The system has been scattered and disorganized, said San Juan-based National Weather Service meteorologist Gabriel Lojero, making it extremely difficult for experts to locate and track the storm’s center.
“The trajectory has been very erratic as it moves towards the northeast of the Caribbean Sea, towards the area of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands,” said Lojero.
The U.S. Virgin Islands got about 3 inches of rain, while eastern Puerto Rico saw up to 2 inches. In Lajas, a town in southwestern Puerto Rico, wind gusts of 45 miles per hour were recorded, but sustained winds reached only about 30 mph across the rest of the island.
Lojero said that even if the system has weakened, “the threat of rain continued” on Sunday night, especially as new bands of rain crossed over areas with already saturated ground. Most of the island’s coast is also at a high risk of rip currents.
“We could see flooding, especially throughout the south and eastern portions of Puerto Rico, as well as landslides,” he said.
The Hurricane Center said Sunday afternoon that Grace was bringing heavy rains to the Virgin Islands, which could lead to flash urban flooding. Across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding, with the potential for mudslides. Tropical Depression Grace was moving toward the west at about 15 mph.
“On the forecast track, Grace will move over Hispaniola on Monday, near or over eastern Cuba on Tuesday, and near or over west-central Cuba on Wednesday,” the advisory said.
On the forecast track, Grace could gain some strength before reaching Hispaniola on Monday morning and possibly dump as much as eight inches of rain as it moves over the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Isolated maximum total rainfall could reach 15 inches across southern terrain areas in Hispaniola, the advisory said.
NOAA’s hurricane hunter planes were investigating Grace on Sunday afternoon, trying to assess the system’s potential for organization — there was no visible center — and how much disruption the dry air and wind shear could produce.
Meanwhile, disorganized Fred strengthened early Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico. Warnings were posted for the northern Gulf Coast.
A storm surge warning is now in effect along the Florida coast east of Steinhatchee River to Yankeetown. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the coast of the Florida Panhandle from Navarre to the Wakulla/Jefferson County line, while a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Panhandle from the Alabama/Florida border to Navarre.
Fred had fallen apart Saturday morning as it moved into the Gulf of Mexico just as South Floridians began casting a nervous eye toward Tropical Storm Grace.
The National Hurricane Center on Saturday downgraded Fred from a tropical depression to a disorganized wave with sustained winds of 35 miles per hour. Forecasters also discontinued a tropical storm warning for the Keys.
Tropical storm watches, warnings in effect for Grace
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:
— Entire coast of the Dominican Republic
— Entire coast of Haiti
