Hurricane Beryl forms in Atlantic

Storm with 80 mph winds heads for east Caribbean

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO » The Atlantic season’s first hurricane, Beryl, formed Friday and headed for a weekend push into the eastern Caribbean, threatening islands still struggling to recover from last year’s storms.

A hurricane watch was issued for Dominica as the Category 1 storm reached maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The island’s meteorological service warned of six to 12 inches of rain and said weather conditions would start deteriorating Saturday night on Dominica, which is rebuilding from Hurricane Maria, which hit as a Category 5 storm last year.

A tropical storm watch was issued for the French Caribbean territories of Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin and St. Barts.

The hurricane center said Beryl could strengthen a bit more in the next few days but predicted it would begin weakening after entering the Caribbean late Sunday or early Monday. It is forecast to pass about 70 miles south of Puerto Rico on Monday, but forecasters said the storm-wracked U.S. territory could experience winds of more than 40 mph and flooding and mudslides from up to four inches of rain.

“People have to remain alert,” Gabriel Lojero, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Juan, told The Associated Press. “The forecast could change for the better or worse.”

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello declared a state of emergency for the island and suspended work for Monday.

Rossello told reporters the island would probably experience power outages, given that its electricity grid has become more vulnerable since Hurricane Maria, which hit as a Category 4 storm last September and caused damage estimated at more than $100 billion. He said the recovery should be quicker since more power restoration crews and equipment are on the island now.