Tropical Storm Laura brought heavy rains to Puerto Rico on Saturday morning as Tropical Storm Marco developed closer to the Yucatan Peninsula.
Aug.21 (UPI) — Tropical Storm Laura brought heavy rains to Puerto Rico on Saturday morning as Tropical Storm Marco developed closer to the Yucatan Peninsula. The two storms are expected to become the first two tropical systems to be in the Gulf of Mexico at the same in records dating to the 1800s. The National Hurricane Center said the eye of the storm was about 60 miles southwest of Ponce, Puerto Rico, as of its 2 p.m. EDT update. The storm was moving west at 18 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Vieques and Culebra, Puerto Rico; U. S. Virgin Islands; the northern coast of the Dominican Republic; the northern coast of Haiti the southeastern Bahamas; and the Turks and Caicos Islands. There was a tropical storm watch for the central Bahamas and parts of Cuba. Laura is the ninth storm to set a new early benchmark this season, beating the previous „L-storm“ record held by Luis, which formed on Aug.29,1995. Tropical storm watches are in effect for the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, as well as the southeastern Bahamas as Laura races westward at 21 mph. Accuweather meteorologists have been watching the tropical Atlantic with extra close attention as the anticipated ramp-up of an already record-setting hurricane season begins. Forecasters are monitoring Tropical Depression 14, which could soon become Tropical Storm Marco, and they warn that both systems could make U. S. landfalls a day apart early next week. Another disturbance near the coast of Africa, which is expected to take a few more days to develop, is also being watched closely by AccuWeather meteorologists. The Leeward Islands are first in the path for impacts from Tropical Storm Laura. „Laura will spread gusty winds and the possibility of periodic heavy rainfall westward over parts of the Leeward Islands from Friday to Saturday,“ Lead Tropical Forecaster and Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said.
