‘Deadly serious’: Tropical weather slams the Caribbean, may hit south-east US next

Miami: Crews are preparing for a weather system that is forecast to become Tropical Storm Imelda later on Sunday AEST before approaching the coast of South Carolina as a hurricane early next week.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto strengthened into a Category 5 storm in the Atlantic and threatened the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Bermuda.

The preparations in the Caribbean and the US south-east came as Vietnam closed airports and evacuated thousands of people as intensifying Typhoon Bualoi barrelled towards the country, days after causing at least 10 deaths and widespread flooding in the Philippines. The typhoon, which was packing wind speeds of up to 133km/h as of noon Sunday AEST, is expected to make landfall in central Vietnam late on Sunday, earlier than previous forecasts as it was travelling fast, according to Vietnam’s national weather forecast agency.

“This is a rapidly moving storm – nearly twice the average speed – with strong intensity and a broad area of impact. It is capable of triggering multiple natural disasters simultaneously, including powerful winds, heavy rainfall, flooding, flash floods, landslides, and coastal inundation,” the agency said.

In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster urged residents to closely monitor the weather and stay alert, while North Carolina Governor Josh Stein declared a state of emergency in advance of the system currently called Tropical Depression Nine.

Those warnings came a year to the date after Helene devastated parts of the Carolinas.

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Forecasters said the system was on track to become a tropical storm late on Sunday AEST and a hurricane by late Monday or Tuesday. It would be named Imelda. At 5pm EST (7am Sunday), the system was about 160 kilometres south-west of the central Bahamas and was headed north-west at 4km/h.

“What we learn every time is we never know where they are going to go,” McMaster said during a news conference to discuss the storm. “This storm is deadly serious. Not just serious. Deadly serious.”

The storm could bring high winds and heavy rain, which could produce flooding, he said. The state was pre-positioning search and rescue crews over the weekend.

Hurricane Humberto grows stronger

Humberto had maximum sustained winds of 260km/h, according to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami. It was about 585 kilometres north of the northern Leeward Islands and was moving north-west at 20km/h.

A satellite image of Tropical Depression Nine over Jamaica and Cuba, and Hurricane Humberto to the north-east of the Virgin Islands. Credit: NASA Worldview

Humberto could produce life-threatening surf and rip currents for the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Bermuda over the weekend, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service in Puerto Rico issued a small craft advisory, urging people to stay ashore and avoid unnecessary trips. Swells from Humberto are expected to reach about 2 metres in Atlantic waters. It also advised residents to heed the beach warning flag system because of the high risk of rip currents.

Tropical Depression Nine was threatening parts of Cuba and the Bahamas with heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Portions of the Bahamas were under a tropical storm warning. More warnings and watches were expected on Sunday AEST, the hurricane centre said.

The Bahamas’ Department of Meteorology urged residents in the north-west and central islands, which include Nassau, Andros Island, San Salvador and Long Island, to “make final preparations” for tropical storm conditions. The agency said it expected the centre of the system to move across that region throughout Monday AEST.

A statement from the department said air force hurricane hunters had been deployed to investigate the system. Maximum sustained winds on Saturday were about 55km/h.

The department expected rainfall in the central and south-east Bahamas to reach between 100mm and 200mm. Some isolated areas could get up to 250mm.

“Residents in low-lying areas should take actions to mitigate property damages due to flooding,” the department said in the statement.

In this handout provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, residents and their dogs are evacuated by rescuers as floods rise due to Typhoon Bualoi in the Philippines last week.Credit: AP

Florida officials keep an eye on storm

The expected tropical storm was forecast to run parallel offshore of Florida’s Atlantic coastline.

Officials across southern Florida, which has been saturated by rain throughout September, continued keeping an eye on the system. A tropical storm watch was issued for parts of the Florida coastline north of West Palm Beach to an area north of Daytona Beach.

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In Homestead, Florida, which was devastated by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Emergency Manager Jaime Hernandez worried about complacency.

“Too many South Floridians who may have experienced limited impacts from storms that came close in recent years, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017, have come away from these events mistakenly believing they have ‘been through the big one’,” Hernandez said.

He said Homestead was one of only four communities in the continental US to experience the catastrophic impacts of a Category 5 hurricane. “We know all too well the importance of having an emergency plan and remaining informed,” Hernandez said.

The tropical disturbance brought heavy rains in the Dominican Republic on Friday, leading authorities to evacuate hundreds of people and to declare a red alert in five provinces.

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In the eastern Atlantic, the centre of post-tropical cyclone Gabrielle moved away from the Azores. A hurricane warning for the entire Portuguese archipelago was discontinued.

Gabrielle was expected to approach Portugal’s coast by late Sunday AEST. Swells expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents were expected to reach Portugal, north-western Spain and northern Morocco.

AP, Reuters

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