Tropical Storm Laura is moving into the Leeward Islands.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued from the Leeward Islands to Haiti.
Rainfall flooding is the primary concern in these areas this weekend.
Laura may approach parts of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico next week.
The intensity and track for this system is highly uncertain when it approaches the U.S.
It’s too early to determine what, if any, impacts the U.S. mainland may see.
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Tropical Storm Laura will sweep into Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Hispaniola bringing locally heavy rain and gusty winds this weekend. Laura may then head toward parts of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico early next week, possibly as a hurricane. However, its forecast intensity and track are highly uncertain.
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This is the earliest the ‘L’ named storm has formed on record. The previous record was Luis on Aug. 29, 1995, according to Phil Klotzbach, tropical scientist at Colorado State University.
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Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico Forecast
Tropical Storm Laura is likely to move rather quickly to the west-northwest over the next few days on the southern periphery of a high-pressure system to its north.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area within 24 hours.
Tropical storm watches have been posted for the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. This means tropical storm conditions are possible within the next 48 hours.