Puertoโข Rico Braces forโฃ Weekend โคRain and Potential โคFlooding
San Juan, Puerto Rico – A โtropicalโค wave is forecast to bring widespread rain and thunderstorms to โคPuerto Rico this weekend, withโข localized flooding โpossible in โขspecific โคareas. โขThe National Weather Service โ(NWS) San โjuan issued warnings โindicating โthat while most of the โฃisland will experience meaningful rainfall, the highest โขrisk โof flooding is concentratedโฃ in urban and windward areas.
According to the NWS, radar imagery as of โ6:30 a.m. โขSaturday showed the wave moving across the island, already delivering heavy rainfall to eastern regions. โขAโ moderate risk of dangerous ocean currents is also inโ effect for most beaches in Puerto Rico and โthe U.S. Virgin Islands throughout the weekend.โ A small โboat advisory isโ active in Atlantic waters offshore,extending from Saturday night through Sunday โmorning.
The approachingโฃ system โarrives near the โend โof โthe 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially runs โfrom June โ1st to November 30th.The NWS highlighted climatological data showing that November typically favors tropicalโ cyclone development in the western Caribbean, extendingโ northeastward through Cuba and the Bahamas, and into the western andโ central North Atlantic.
This year’s Atlantic hurricane โฃseason has already seen the formation of 13 cyclones, including Hurricane Melissa, aโค recent Category 5 storm that devastated Jamaica โขwith sustained winds of 185 milesโ per hour and higher gusts. Melissa’s โpassage resulted in over 50 fatalities across Jamaica, Cuba, theโค Bahamas, and โคnear Haiti. Otherโ named storms โฃthisโ season โคinclude Erin, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, and Andrea, Barry, Chantal, โฃDexter, Fernand, Jerry, Karen, and Lorenzo. Storm Chantal was the only cyclone to make โlandfall in theโข U.S., causing two deaths in North Carolina in July.