STORM POSES NO THREAT TO FLORIDA THIS WEEK

South Fla. unlikely to get high wind, rain this week.

What was Tropical Storm Beryl is moving faster toward the Lesser Antilles but is unlikely to affect South Florida, according to a National Hurricane Center specialist.

As of Sunday evening, the remnants of the storm were moving at 26 mph toward the Lesser Antilles. Maximum sustained winds were reported at about 45 miles per hour.

A tropical storm watch was still in place for the island of Dominica, where the remnants were likely to hit, beginning late Sunday, the NHC said.

Beryl’s remnants will likely produce heavy rains and strong winds in parts of the Leeward Islands, including the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, through Tuesday.

“We’re not anticipating any kind of really high winds that could cause really high damage,” said Stacy Stewart, a senior hurricane specialist with the NHC.

Despite that, Puerto Rico residents are wary of the storm — Beryl is still expected to bring at least 2 to 3 inches of rain, and up to 5 inches in some areas.

More than nine months after Hurricane Maria, about 1,500 people in Puerto Rico are without power on the island; about 60,000 have only tarps for roofs.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said an emergency declaration remained in effect in advance of the tropical storm. Rossello, who said the island could experience power outages, urged people without sturdy roofs to move in with relatives or go to a government shelter.

For South Florida, Stewart said Beryl may adversely affect surf conditions and the risk of rip tides in the middle of this week but likely would not bring bad rain or winds.

Beryl does have the possibility of reforming in the Bahamas, he said, but NHC models show that’s unlikely. Even if it did, South Florida would likely not get bad rain, he said.

“If it does regenerate over the east, in the Bahamas, there’s a good chance it would be drier,” Stewart said.

Another tropical storm, Chris, is forming off the coast of the Carolinas with maximum wind speeds of about 45 miles per hour, according to the NHC. The storm is forecast to become a hurricane today.

Chris had been stationary as of Sunday evening but is predicted to move north-northeast toward the coast of Canada. Stewart said because of its position, it also poses no threat to this area.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.