Topline
The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for Puerto Rico on Saturday, as Tropical Storm Fiona is set to hit the island by Saturday night, becoming the first named Atlantic storm in months to make landfall in a historically quiet hurricane season.
Tropical Storm Fiona is the third named storm in the Atlantic since July 2.
Key Facts
A hurricane watch was issued for the U.S. Virgin Islands, as Tropical Storm Fiona intensifies on its path west toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
It is projected to hit Puerto Rico by Saturday night and the Dominican Republic on Sunday, before it takes a northward path, bringing it east of Florida, according to The Weather Channel.
The storm packs 60 mph maximum sustained winds, according to the National Hurricane Center, meaning it would need to strengthen another 14 mph to be considered a category-one hurricane.
Earlier this week, forecasters walked back previous predictions that indicated the 2022 season would be a particularly rough one, with meteorologists at AccuWeather predicting a total of 12 named storms, down from 19 forecasted in April.
On Thursday, however, meteorologists at Colorado State University issued a two-week Atlantic hurricane forecast, putting the odds of above-normal activity at 50%, with a 40% chance of normal activity and a 10% chance for below-normal activity.
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring two other disturbances, including one northeast of Bermuda and another east of Tropical Storm Fiona, although meteorologists believe neither has a chance of developing into a cyclone in the next 48 hours.
Key Background
Fiona is the sixth named storm this year, and only the third since Tropical Storm Colin, which formed off the coast of South Carolina in early July. The first hurricane of the year—Danielle—fizzled out in a remote area of the north Atlantic, while Hurricane Earl strayed east of Bermuda, although it did bring life-threatening rip currents to the island and parts of the East Coast.
Surprising Fact
The last time there were only two Atlantic hurricanes in a season was 2013, according to Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach.
Further Reading
Hurricane Earl Restrengthens Out To Sea—But ‘Life-Threatening’ Rip Currents Threaten East Coast (Forbes)
First Named Atlantic Tropical Storm Forms After Historic Two-Month Lull (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/09/17/puerto-rico-under-hurricane-warning-as-fiona-approaches-landfall/