Tropical Storm Karen forms in Atlantic, threatens Puerto Rico
Tropical Storm Karen formed Sunday morning and is projected to threaten Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, while yet another tropical wave off the coast of Africa could become a tropical depression as well.
As of 11 a.m., the National Hurricane Center reported Tropical Storm Karen had sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving westnorthwest at 13 mph about 30 miles north of Grenada and 65 miles south-southeast of St. Vincent.
Tropical storm watches have been issued for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, including Vieques and Culebra and the British Virgin Islands while tropical storm warnings remain in effect for Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines as the storm’s projected path takes it into the Southern Caribbean Sea today.
The storm is projected to turn toward the northwest on Monday and then north by Tuesday targeting Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and then emerge back into the Atlantic by Wednesday.
The storm is not expected to grow in strength in the next two days, and current tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles.
Farther west, a tropical wave has moved off the African coast in the Atlantic and is expected to become a tropical depression possibly today.
A tropical wave is an elongated area of low pressure that when over the tropical waters of the Atlantic or Caribbean can form into circulating storms that can become tropical depressions, tropical storms and then hurricanes. The next named storm would be Tropical Storm Lorenzo.
“Satellite images show that the thunderstorm activity associated with a strong tropical wave that has moved off the west coast of Africa this morning is quickly becoming better organized,” forecasters said at 8 a.m. “Environmental conditions are conducive for further development, and a tropical depression or tropical storm is expected to form later today or tonight while the system moves generally westward over the eastern tropical Atlantic at 15 to 20 mph.”
The hurricane center said the Cabo Verde Islands should monitor the progress of this disturbance.
“Regardless of development, this system is likely to bring locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds to portions of the southern Cabo Verde Islands,” forecasters said.