Fiona becomes a hurricane as it threatens Puerto Rico with up to 2 feet of rain
500,000+ Puerto Ricans currently without power in this bankrupt US territory in the Caribbean.
Fiona becomes a hurricane as it threatens Puerto Rico with up to 2 feet of rain
Fiona became the third hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic season Sunday morning as it drew closer to Puerto Rico, where forecasters expect a life-threatening situation to unfold early this week.
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Sep. 16, 2022 2:40 PM CEST | Updated Sep. 18, 2022 7:24 PM CEST
Fiona continues to strengthen as it approached Puerto Rico, and on Sunday morning, it became the third hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. AccuWeather meteorologists expect Fiona to unload feet of rainfall across the country that will prompt life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides.
Hurricane warnings are in effect for all of Puerto Rico, as well as eastern portions of the Dominican Republic. AccuWeather forecasters have rated Fiona a 2 for the Caribbean on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes as a result of the heightened risk to life and property from the storm's strong winds and heavy rain, which can amount up to 24 inches (600 mm) in some spots.
At 11 a.m. EDT Sunday, Fiona was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane packing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130-km/h), with even higher gusts. The center was 50 miles (80 km) south of Ponce, Puerto Rico, and is predicted to make landfall, or come close to making landfall, along the southwestern part of Puerto Rico later Sunday.
This radar animation shows Fiona tracking closer to Puerto Rico on Sunday morning, Sept. 18, 2022. (AccuWeather)
Ahead of Fiona, beaches in Puerto Rico were shut down and officials opened shelters, according to The Associated Press. Theaters and museums were also closed as Fiona approached and officials cautioned residents to stay indoors as conditions deteriorate. As the governor on Saturday urged residents not to underestimate Fiona, the lights briefly went out while TV cameras were rolling. Power outages have been a massive impact as Fiona's path continues, with more than 500,000 residents remaining without power as of Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US.
Fiona, the most significant tropical system to impact the Caribbean so far this Atlantic hurricane season, has already proved deadly in its sweep of the Lesser Antilles. On Saturday, one man was found dead on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe after heavy rainfall in the area attributed to Fiona caused flooding, local authorities stated. The man was found dead after his house was swept away by floods, and video footage from the island showed a river bursting out of its banks. There have been reports of 19 inches (482 mm) of rain on the island.
Early Saturday morning, the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters posted an eerie video from their flight through Fiona overnight Friday, which showed frequent flashes of lightning illuminating the clouds and cockpit of the airplane.
Fiona's projected course over the southwestern part of Puerto Rico will allow most of its circulation to miss significant encounters with the 4,000-foot mountains on Puerto Rico and 10,000-foot mountains on Hispaniola. As a result, a loss in the storm's wind intensity is unlikely.
A swath of 60- to 80-mph (100- to 130-km/h) wind gusts is expected to stretch across Puerto Rico, eastern and central portions of the Dominican Republic and into the southeastern Bahamas through Monday. Gusts nearing the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 100 mph (160 km/h) will be most likely closest to where Fiona's center passes by.
Workers outfit the doors and windows of a Marshall's department store in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, with storm shutters as Tropical Storm Fiona closed in on the island Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.
Loose outdoor objects should be properly secured or stowed away ahead of Fiona's winds, which are at a high enough level for some tree damage, power outages and minor structural damage to occur.
There is every indication that the storm will pack a significant threat to life and property due to the risk of flash flooding and mudslides.
A general 12-18 inches (200-300 mm) of rain is forecast to fall on much of the southern part of Puerto Rico with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 24 inches (600 mm). Rainfall of this extreme magnitude will trigger life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides. Even 4-8 inches (100-200 mm) poised for parts of the Virgin Islands and Hispaniola can lead to flooding and debris flows, forecasters warn.
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