By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the Bahamas closed a majority of schools on Monday following mandatory evacuations for some islands in the archipelago as Tropical Storm Imelda was expected to drop heavy rain and unleash flooding in the northern Caribbean.
The storm was located about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southeast of Great Abaco Island, which is still recovering from Hurricane Dorian after it slammed into parts of the Bahamas as a devastating Category 5 hurricane in 2019.
Imelda had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was moving north at 9 mph (15 kph). It was forecast to become a hurricane on Tuesday and spin out to open ocean, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for parts of the northwestern Bahamas, including Eleuthera, the Abacos, Grand Bahama Island and the surrounding keys. Power outages were reported in some areas, with authorities closing government offices on affected islands.
Imelda was expected to drop 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain across the northwest Bahamas through Tuesday, and 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) across eastern Cuba.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto churned in open waters nearby, which forecasters said would cause Imelda to abruptly turn to the east-northeast, away from the southeastern United States coast.
“This is really what’s going to be saving the United States from really seeing catastrophic rainfall,” said Alex DaSilva, lead hurricane expert for AccuWeather, a private U.S. weather forecasting company.
When two storms circle near each other, they create what’s known as the Fujiwhara effect, which means that they start to rotate counterclockwise around each other, DaSilva said.
“It’s a very rare phenomena overall in the Atlantic basin,” he said.
The Carolinas brace for Imelda’s rains
Humberto was a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph). It was located about 365 miles (585 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda moving northwest at 14 mph (22 kph). A tropical storm watch was in effect for Bermuda.
“This is going to be no threat to the United States,” DaSilva said.
However, moisture from Imelda was expected to move up the Carolinas, with heavy rain forecast through Tuesday morning. The heaviest rains will be limited to the coastline, from Charleston in South Carolina to Wilmington in North Carolina, while Charlotte and Raleigh might receive only 1 to 2 inches (3 to 5 centimeters) of rain, he said.
The Carolinas might see winds gusts of 40 mph, but only along the coastline, DaSilva said, as he warned of dangerous surf and heavy rip currents all week.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said authorities were prepositioning search and rescue crews over the weekend.
Meanwhile, In North Carolina, Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency even before Imelda formed.
‘A double whammy for Bermuda’
As Tropical Storm Imelda and Hurricane Humberto swirled in open waters, authorities in Bermuda prepared for two near misses.
“It’s going to be a double whammy for Bermuda, Humberto first and Imelda following close behind,” Da Silva said.
He said Imelda could pass within 15 miles (24 kilometers) from Bermuda as the Atlantic season’s soon-to-be fourth named hurricane, while Humberto will charge past at a longer distance.
Michael Weeks, Bermuda’s national security minister, urged residents to prepare, warning that there have been “some near misses this season regarding severe storms.”
“Hurricane Humberto is a dangerous storm, and with another system developing to our south, every household in Bermuda should take the necessary steps to be prepared,” he said.
Flights to and from the islands in the Bahamas were canceled, with airports expected to reopen after weather conditions improve.