Our live coverage has moved. You can find the latest updates on Tropical Storm Dorian here.
Tropical Storm Dorian is on track to slam the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, an island still grappling with the devastation of Hurricane Maria.
Our live coverage has ended, but keep reading CNN for more details about the storm.
Here’s what we know so far:
Lucy Beascochea’s home in Ponce, Puerto Rico was destroyed during Hurricane Maria in 2017.
She still lives there today. Beascochea stays in what she described as a secondary apartment. The tin roof over her small apartment has holes, so water leaks in every time it rains.
In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, she applied for disaster relief from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She needs roughly $9,000 to repair her home.
Beascochea said she’s been preparing for Tropical Storm Dorian but she admits she’s a little nervous. Her brother has been helping her tie down the roof and cover any holes.
The latest forecast shows that Tropical Storm Dorian shifted slightly north and Puerto Rico may take a direct hit.
Dorian is forecast to intensify into a hurricane after it passes the Windward Islands and moves into the Caribbean Sea, according to CNN meteorologist Haley Brink.
Here’s the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center:
The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department will send a 45-member urban search and rescue team to Puerto Rico ahead of Tropical Storm Dorian, according to a statement.
The teams provide search and rescue support, medical support communications and damage assessment. They also coordinate the distribution of relief supplies.
What we know about the storm: The tropical storm is expected to be a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and Thursday, according to CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen.
By the end of the week, what’s left of Dorian is expected to move toward the Bahamas and possibly southeastern parts of the mainland US.
The Puerto Rico National Guard is preparing for Tropical Storm Dorian, according to a statement from the agency.
The Puerto Rico National Guard has positioned special equipment in assigned areas throughout the island, the release said.
Reyes urged residents to remain calm.
“We ask our citizens to stay calm, not speculate on the possibilities, stay informed from official news sources, take necessary precautions and to know that the PRNG is vigilant and ready to assist them if necessary,” he said.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz tweeted that the city is opening a shelter at Roberto Clemente Coliseum for anyone displaced due to Tropical Storm Dorian.
The center can hold 500 people and will open at 5 p.m. ET.
Carnival Cruise Line is making some itinerary modifications to avoid the current path of Tropical Storm Dorian, the company announced today.
“Our Fleet Operations Center continues to monitor the storm and will make any adjustments as needed as the safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority,” the cruise line said in a statement.
Carnival Sunrise will still depart New York today as scheduled, but it will stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Friday instead of Grand Turk. It will head to Amber Cove on Saturday instead of its originally planned San Juan. It’s stop in Grand Turk will not be on Sunday.
Carnival Breeze, which was supposed to stop in San Juan on Wednesday, will stay at sea instead.
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean said it has “modified the itineraries of Symphony of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, and Harmony of the Seas from Eastern to Western Caribbean routes.”
Norwegian Cruise Line said it has not changed any schedules, but added officials are still “closely monitoring the projection of Tropical Storm Dorian and will provide updates accordingly.”
The European model midday update shows, for the first time for Dorian, a hurricane-strength storm reaching the Florida Peninsula.
Recent model runs of the European model, run by the European Center for Medium Range Forecasting (ECMWF), have been trending stronger over the past 48 hours.
While we shouldn’t focus too much on the details of a forecast model five days in advance, it is worth noting that the model has constantly brought the center of the storm to the eastern coast of Florida, somewhere between Jacksonville and West Palm Beach.
It is also worth noting the trend towards a stronger storm by the time it reaches Florida.
This storm certainly bears watching, not only in the near term as it approaches Puerto Rico, but also for the weekend on the mainland US East Coast.
Tropical Storm Dorian is about 370 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. ET update.
The storm has sustained winds of 50 mph.
Here’s a look at the latest forecast:
As Tropical Storm Dorian barrels toward Puerto Rico, President Trump has again cited misleading aid numbers in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
He touted $91 billion in aid for Puerto Rico in May — more than half of that $91/92 billion is based on the White House’s estimates for costs FEMA could incur in years to come.
$42.2 billion of relief has been appropriated by congress, $20.3 billion obligated to be spent by federal agencies (meaning they have actually committed to spending this money), and $12.6 billion has been spent, according to the federal government’s disaster relief website.
Here’s his tweet:
Dorian is expected to bring tropical-storm-force winds and rain to the southwestern part of Puerto Rico.
Two-thirds of the island of Puerto Rico is likely to receive those winds, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said.
For now, Dorian is likely to stay a very strong tropical storm as it closely approaches Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic Wednesday night.
What happens after that? In the latest update from the National Hurricane Center, forecasters are keeping the intensity low as it approaches Florida but there is uncertainty. They are not sure why some models aren’t intensifying the storm in the warmer moist air over the Bahamas. There is low confidence in the intensity forecast right now.
The National Hurricane Center just released its latest advisory for Tropical Storm Dorian.
The storm has maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour and is churning about 415 miles southeast of Puerto Rico.
Right now. according to the advisory, a hurricane watch is in effect for Puerto Rico as well as the Dominican Republic, from Isla Saona to Samana.
Here’s a look at the latest forecast:
As Tropical Storm Dorian churns in the Caribbean Sea, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it has more supplies on hand in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands than in 2017.
“FEMA is taking all possible preparatory actions in anticipation of impacts, including the forward deployment of personnel,” a FEMA spokesperson said.
Why we’re talking about 2017: Many in Puerto Rico are still reliving nightmares from Hurricane Maria, which killed thousands of people in 2017 and left almost the entire US territory without power for weeks.
Maria was the first Category 4 hurricane to directly impact Puerto Rico in 85 years. To add to the severity, the island had not yet fully recovered from Hurricane Irma, which pummelled Puerto Rico with high winds just two weeks earlier.
Here’s more from the FEMA spokesperson:
New NOAA satellite imagery from this morning showed Tropical Storm Dorian spinning in the Caribbean Sea.
The imagery, taken from NOAA’s GOES-East satellite, shows the storm churning over the Windward Islands of the Caribbean.
Watch the footage:
Dorian is considered a very compact storm, with tropical-storm-force winds — those ranging from 39 mph to 73 mph — extending only 45 miles from the center.
But don’t let that fool you.
The storm will intensify when it moves past the Lesser Antilles and into the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, CNN Meteorologist Karen Maginnis said.
By the time Dorian’s done, parts of Barbados and the Windward Islands could be deluged with 6 inches of rain, the National Hurricane Center said.
Right now, Dorian is approaching several Caribbean islands.
The tropical storm is expected to be a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and Thursday, according to CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.
But it could impact more than just the Caribbean: By the end of the week, what’s left of Dorian is expected to move toward the Bahamas and possibly southeastern parts of the mainland US.
Forecasts showed Dorian approaching the East Coast of Florida by Sunday.
A word of warning, though: “It is still way too early to forecast impacts,” Hennen said.
Several US airlines are offering travel waivers to customers with scheduled flights to the eastern Caribbean as Tropical Storm Dorian travels through the Caribbean Sea.
Here’s a look at the airlines that are allowing some passengers to rebook:
Dorian is the fourth named storm of this hurricane season. Generally, the season reaches a peak in the eight weeks surrounding September 10.
Two-thirds of all the storms produced in a typical season occur during this period.
Here’s why: Conditions in the tropics become ideal for storm development during this time. By the end of August, water has typically warmed to the mid-80s in many parts of the region.
Take a look at when most hurricanes and tropical storms have formed:
The National Hurricane Center this morning released a new advisory for Tropical Storm Dorian’s path.
Right now, it’s about 15 miles off the coast of St. Lucia. It’s expected to travel northwest and is forecast to intensify into a hurricane after it passes the Windward Islands and moves into the Caribbean Sea, according to CNN meteorologist Haley Brink.
You can track the storm here.
