Tropical trouble: Chris, remnants of Beryl
Two tropical systems Monday were spinning near U.S. shores, with the remnants of Hurricane Beryl threatening to bring flooding rain to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and Tropical Storm Chris lurking off the Carolina coast.
In the Caribbean, the system will be the first test for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as they still struggle from last year’s devastating storms.
Although Beryl disintegrated after rushing over Dominica and into the eastern Caribbean, the National Hurricane Center said the remnants still could bring 2 to 3 inches of rain pounding on homes in Puerto Rico still damaged by Hurricane Maria in September.
“The main hazards will be torrential rainfall and strong, gusty winds,” which could reach 45 mph, the National Weather Service in San Juan said.
Other concerns are “urban flooding and rapid rises along rivers and small streams, as well as mudslides in areas of steep terrain,” the weather service said.
Flash flood warnings and watches were in effect Monday for much of Puer- to Rico, including San Juan.
Officials said 24,000 customers had already lost power across Puerto Rico, and Gov. Ricardo Rossello urged people without sturdy roofs to stay with relatives or go to one of 14 government shelters.
Beryl could turn back into a tropical storm or a hurricane later this week but should stay east of the U.S. coast. The hurricane center gave the system a 50 percent chance of becoming a tropical storm within the next five days.
Tropical Storm Chris continued to meander just off the Carolina coast on Monday, the hurricane center said.
As of 5 p.m. EDT, Chris had winds of 70 mph and was located about 215 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It’s expected to become a hurricane late Monday or on Tuesday and then head out to sea, potentially clipping Atlantic Canada as a tropical storm later in the week.
Swells generated by Chris are expected to affect portions of the coasts of North Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic states. “These swells could cause lifethreatening surf and rip current conditions,” the hurricane center said.