Topline
Hurricane Fiona strengthened into a Category 3 storm early Tuesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center, becoming the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season that’s expected to intensify after devastating parts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
View of a park in Samana, Dominican Republic, on September 19 after the passage of Hurricane Fiona.
Key Facts
Fiona has strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane and has maximum sustained winds of nearly 115 mph, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in updates at 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. ET.
The storm triggered widespread power outages and flooding in Puerto Rico after making landfall over the weekend and has caused “considerable” damage in the Dominican Republic, president Luis Abinader said.
At least three deaths have been linked to the storm so far, two in Puerto Rico and one in the Dominican Republic.
Fiona is expected to strengthen further during the next couple of days as it nears the Turks and Caicos Islands, the NHC added.
Hurricane warnings—where hurricane conditions are expected—are in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands, the NHC said.
A tropical storm warning—which is less extreme than a hurricane warning—has also been issued for the Southeastern Bahamas, the NHC said.
What To Watch For
Fiona is expected to continue moving across the Caribbean. Residents of the Turks and Caicos’ three eastern islands have been told to shelter in place and businesses have been shuttered in anticipation of the storm’s arrival. The NHC has said those in Bermuda should monitor the hurricane’s progress. Fiona is not expected to make landfall over the U.S. mainland, though the NHC said swells generated by Fiona could affect the east coast through midweek. These could produce “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
Key Background
Fiona left almost all of Puerto Rico without power when it made landfall on Sunday and caused “catastrophic” damage, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said. Little progress has been made to restore power to the island and the vast majority of the 1.5 million customers tracked by poweroutage.us were still without power as of Tuesday morning. It is expected it will take days to resolve the issue. The island is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria last year and President Joe Biden declared an emergency after Fiona hit on Sunday, authorizing disaster relief efforts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The White House said more than 300 federal workers are already assisting response and recovery. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is set to travel to Puerto Rico on Tuesday to assess what further support is needed.
Surprising Fact
Fiona is the first major hurricane—Category 3 and above—of the 2022 Atlantic season, bucking early forecasts that predicted the season would be busy and severe. Scientists broadly agree that human-driven climate change is driving increasingly severe and more frequent storms, as well as other extreme weather events like heatwaves and flooding. Experts predict these will grow more frequent and severe in nature in the future as warming continues.
Further Reading
‘Catastrophic’: Hurricane Fiona Brings Power Outages And Massive Floods To Puerto Rico (Forbes)
Weather-Related Disasters Skyrocketed Fivefold Over Past 50 Years, Says U.N. Weather Agency (Forbes)
On Anniversary of Hurricane Maria, Storm Leaves Puerto Rico in the Dark (NYT)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/09/20/hurricane-fiona-strengthens-into-category-3-storm-after-battering-puerto-rico-dominican-republic/