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At least three people are dead across Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as Hurricane Fiona intensified into the Atlantic’s first major hurricane of the season overnight near the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to reports.
Hurricane Fiona has been steadily strengthening and could reach Category 4 intensity by early Wednesday as it heads in the direction of Bermuda through the end of the week.
Even with Fiona pulling farther away from the Caribbean, its outer bands will continue to produce heavy rain over coastal and eastern sections of the Dominican Republic and isolated portions of Puerto Rico through Tuesday. The FOX Forecast Center warns that these rains could produce additional localized life-threatening flash flooding.
Fiona made two landfalls as a Category 1 hurricane, the first one Sunday afternoon along the extreme southwestern coast of Puerto Rico and the second one early Monday morning in the eastern Dominican Republic.
In Puerto Rico, the city of Ponce clocked a 103-mph wind gust, while in the Dominican Republic, a gust of 98 mph was recorded in Samana at El Catey International Airport. The high winds plunged all of Puerto Rico into a blackout on Sunday as catastrophic flooding unfolded across the U.S. territory.
As of early Tuesday morning, Fiona was a Category 3 hurricane centered near Grand Turk Island and was moving north-northwestward at 10 mph.
Any hurricane that is rated Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is defined as a major hurricane.
