- Tropical Storm Karen is expected to hit Puerto Rico today with heavy rainfall, potentially leading to flooding and landslides.
- Monday night, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the island.
- Tropical Storm Karen is one of three tropical storms currently churning in the Atlantic ocean.
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Tropical Storm Karen is poised to hit Puerto Rico Tuesday with significant rain that could cause flooding and mudslides across the island. As residents were making final preparations for the storm Monday night, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck about 40 miles off the coast.
Three aftershocks of magnitudes around 4.7 and 4.6 followed within an hour. Luckily, no damage was reported, Kiara Hernández, the spokeswoman for the island’s Emergency Management Agency, told the Associated Press.
Schools and government offices were already closed, the AP reported, and officials are warning people to stay indoors across Puerto Rico and the US and the British Virgin Islands. Puerto Rican Governor Wanda Vázquez activated the National Guard on Monday.
Tropical Storm Karen, which regained strength and was upgraded from a tropical depression early Tuesday morning, is expected to bring 2 to 4 inches of rain. Maximum sustained winds have increased to 40 mph, slightly up from 35 mph reported Monday night.
The National Hurricane Center warned Tuesday morning about potentially life-threatening rainfall that could prompt evacuations and rescues, as well as the possibility that rivers and tributaries may overflow, and that mountainous regions are susceptible to rockslides and mudslides. Roads may become flooded, they warn, and a few roads could become impassable from debris brought on by the wind.
Storm surges that could cause beach erosion or flooding may impact south and east Puerto Rico, Culebra, Vieques, and the US Virgin Islands, the NHC said.
Karen is only one of several tropical storms in the Atlantic on Tuesday - Tropical Storm Jerry is expected to pass near Bermuda with tropical storm-force winds arriving as early as Tuesday afternoon. Tropical Storm Lorenzo has formed over the Atlantic a few hundred miles southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands, CNN reported, with expectations strengthening quickly and potentially becoming a hurricane by midweek.
Lorenzo is the 12th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane thus far. Phil Klotzbach, Colorado State University meteorologist, told USA Today the entire Atlantic hurricane season averages about 12 named storms. Hurricane season typically lasts from June 1 to November 30, with the peak of the season from mid-August to late October.
Puerto Rico is still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Maria, which ravaged the island two years ago. An estimated 3,000 people died as a result of the Category 5 storm, and more than 25,000 people still don't have permanent roofs.