Tropical Storm Emily formed in the Caribbean Sea about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of the island of Dominica and is expected to take a turn over the next couple of days that could bring it to Florida.
Emily is about 350 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, traveling west at 17 miles per hour, according to an advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center before 8 p.m. New York time. The storm, with maximum sustained winds at 40 miles per hour, is expected to head northwest across the Caribbean Sea toward the Bahamas and possibly Florida, according to computer projections posted on Weather Underground Inc.'s website.
The center of Emily will move across the northeastern Caribbean Sea tonight and approach the island of Hispaniola as early as tomorrow night, according to the hurricane center's advisory.
"It could be impacting the Florida peninsula this weekend," said Andy Mussoline, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania. Florida is the world's second-largest producer of oranges, behind Brazil.
A storm gets a name when its maximum winds reach 39 miles per hour, which is the threshold for it to be classified as a tropical storm.
Storm Warnings
Tropical storm warnings were issued for Puerto Rico and the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe, Desirade, Les Saintes and Marie Galante, Vieques and Culebra.
Tropical storm watches were issued for the Dominican Republic, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Haiti and the islands of St. Kitts, Nevis, Monstserrat and Antigua.
"Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area in the windward islands tonight, in the U.S. Virgin Islands by tonight and early tomorrow and in Haiti by Wednesday," the center said in its advisory.
Mussoline said Tropical Storm Emily may grow into at least a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of at least 74 mph on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Hurricane Eugene
A Category 1 storm, the weakest type of hurricane, can shatter windows, tear off roofs and destroy older mobile homes, according to the hurricane center.
"As evidenced by the amount of time it took this system to consolidate around a single center, the environment is only marginally favorable for strengthening in the short term," the hurricane center said in a discussion of the storm.
In the eastern Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Eugene grew into a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds of 75 mph, according to the center. Eugene is forecast to take a track moving to the northwest and that will keep it away from land for the rest of the week.
Eugene, the fifth hurricane to form in the eastern Pacific this year, is 410 miles southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, according to the center.
An area of disturbed weather has also formed near the Gulf of Tehuantepec that has a 10 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next two days, the center said in a tropical weather outlook.
Emily is about 350 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, traveling west at 17 miles per hour, according to an advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center before 8 p.m. New York time. The storm, with maximum sustained winds at 40 miles per hour, is expected to head northwest across the Caribbean Sea toward the Bahamas and possibly Florida, according to computer projections posted on Weather Underground Inc.'s website.
The center of Emily will move across the northeastern Caribbean Sea tonight and approach the island of Hispaniola as early as tomorrow night, according to the hurricane center's advisory.
"It could be impacting the Florida peninsula this weekend," said Andy Mussoline, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania. Florida is the world's second-largest producer of oranges, behind Brazil.
A storm gets a name when its maximum winds reach 39 miles per hour, which is the threshold for it to be classified as a tropical storm.
Storm Warnings
Tropical storm warnings were issued for Puerto Rico and the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe, Desirade, Les Saintes and Marie Galante, Vieques and Culebra.
Tropical storm watches were issued for the Dominican Republic, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Haiti and the islands of St. Kitts, Nevis, Monstserrat and Antigua.
"Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area in the windward islands tonight, in the U.S. Virgin Islands by tonight and early tomorrow and in Haiti by Wednesday," the center said in its advisory.
Mussoline said Tropical Storm Emily may grow into at least a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of at least 74 mph on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Hurricane Eugene
"As evidenced by the amount of time it took this system to consolidate around a single center, the environment is only marginally favorable for strengthening in the short term," the hurricane center said in a discussion of the storm.
In the eastern Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Eugene grew into a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds of 75 mph, according to the center. Eugene is forecast to take a track moving to the northwest and that will keep it away from land for the rest of the week.
Eugene, the fifth hurricane to form in the eastern Pacific this year, is 410 miles southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, according to the center.
An area of disturbed weather has also formed near the Gulf of Tehuantepec that has a 10 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next two days, the center said in a tropical weather outlook.
