Tropical Storm Gabrielle is letting its presence be known in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The storm caused heavy rains in Puerto Rico early Thursday and is on its way to the Dominican Republic.
As of Thursday, the storm was located about 65 miles west-southwest of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and is moving northwest at 8 mph. The storm is expected to grow in strength over the next two days, the Associated Press reports.
"We should not lower our guard," state meteorologist Ernesto Morales told the Associated Press."The storm is very dangerous. There's a very high possibility of flooding."
The storm has caused some trees to fall in the central town of Ciales and small landslides in the central mountain town of Utuado. Crews are on the scene trying to clear the roads. Residents in the northern municipality of had to be relocated as landslides have already been occurring on nearby mountain over the past few weeks.
The storm is expected to drop as many as 12 inches of rain in central Puerto Rico and up to six inches in other parts of the country and around the U.S. Virgin Islands and parts of Dominican Republic. In the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix, officials also closed all of the schools.
According to Miguel Rios, director of Puerto Rico's emergency management agency, the storm is working together with a series of other storms that are above the northeast coast of Puerto Rico.
"In the next 36 hours, we can experience heavy rains at any moment," Rios told AP. "We must remain on alert."
Puerto Rico has had a very wet summer. In July, 14 inches dropped in the capital of San Juan. It has rained so much this summer that July set a record for being the wettest.
Tropical Storm warnings have been issued for Puerto Rico and parts of the Dominican Republic, from Cabo Engano to Cabo Frances Viejo by the National Hurricane Center.
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