Tropical Storm Grace formed Saturday in the western Atlantic Ocean and was expected to deliver heavy rain to the Lesser and Greater Antilles in the coming days, the National Hurricane Center said.
At 4 p.m. central time, Grace was moving west-northwest at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.
Grace could bring tropical storm conditions and flash flooding to the Leeward Islands late Saturday or early Sunday before passing over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands late Sunday. It might threaten Cuba and the Turks and Caicos islands.
It was too early to tell if the storm will affect Louisiana.
Grace was one of two tropical disturbances that the Hurricane Center was tracking in the Atlantic basin. The other, tropical depression Fred, was expected to restrengthen to a tropical storm before making landfall near the Mississippi-Alabama border.
Watches and warnings
A tropical storm warning was in effect for.:
- Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat
- Saba and Sint Eustatius
- Sint Maarten
- St. Martin and St. Barthelemy
- British Virgin Islands
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Puerto Rico, including Vieques and Culebra.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for:
- South coast of the Dominican Republic between Punta Caucedo and Cabo Engano
- North coast of the Dominican Republic between Cabo Frances Viejo and Cabo Engano.
Fred is forecast to make landfall on the Florida panhandle.
Next storm name
Tropical weather systems are named when they strengthen into tropical storms. The categories, in order of increasing strength, are tropical depression, tropical storm and hurricane (categories 1 through 5).
Tropical storms Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny and Elsa formed earlier this season. Elsa was the first hurricane of the season. Claudette developed in the Gulf of Mexico and dumped several inches of rain on Slidell, flooding homes and streets.
In 2020, there were so many storms that forecasters ran out of names and had to use the Greek alphabet. It was only the second time in recorded history that the Greek names had been used.
Things have changed for this season. If needed, forecasters will use a list of supplemental storm names instead of the Greek names. See the full list.
Bottled water is among the must-have staples when prepping for hurricane season.
Tips for hurricane season
Forecasters say now is the time to review hurricane plans and ensure your property is ready for storms. Here are some tips from the National Weather Service:
- Put together an emergency kit
- Check emergency equipment such as flashlights, generators and storm shutters
- Before an emergency happens, make a plan with your family or close friends and decide how you will get in touch and where you will go if there’s an emergency
- Plan your evacuation route and have an alternate route.
- Review your insurance policies
- Keep your trees around your home trimmed to prevent damage from broken branches
- Have materials in advance to board windows to protect them from flying debris.
Don’t miss a storm update this hurricane season. Sign up for breaking newsletters. Follow our Hurricane Center Facebook page.
Danae Leake contributed to this report.