Forecasters issued tropical storm watches for portions of the U. S., Cuba and Mexico after Subtropical Storm Alberto formed in the northwestern Caribbean Sea.
May 26 (UPI) — Forecasters kept tropical storm watches for parts of the United States and Cuba on Saturday as Subtropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the season, moves north.
The center of the storm was located about 120 miles east-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and 70 miles south of the western tip of Cuba as of the National Hurricane Center’s 7 a.m. EDT update.
Alberto was moving north at 9 mph with 40-mph sustained winds.
The NHC issued a tropical storm watch for the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio, from Indian Pass, Fla., west to Grand Isle, La., and Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas in Louisiana. There also was a storm surge watch from Horseshoe Beach, Fla., west to the mouth of the Mississippi River.
“A northward or north-northeastward motion is expected today, followed by a turn to the northwest on Sunday,” the NHC said.
Forecasters said tropical storm conditions are possible for Cuba today and for the United States starting on Sunday.
The NHC predicted 10 inches to 15 inches of rain with isolated totals of 25 inches in western Cuba.
Rain chances are at 70 percent to 80 percent for portions of Florida throughout the Memorial Day weekend.
Flooding was possible in Florida’s Miami-Dade and Monroe counties after weeks of rain, with tornadoes possible Saturday and Sunday and rip currents expected on both coasts, forecasters said.
