Tropical Storm Imelda formed on Sunday and was expected to become a hurricane on a forecast track that could take it away from the US east coast in the coming days. The storm was causing disruption in the Bahamas and Cuba on Sunday, and a tropical storm watch was posted in parts of Florida.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto weakened very slightly but remained a strong category 4 storm in the Atlantic, threatening Bermuda.
At about 2pm ET, Imelda was located about 95 miles (152.89km) west-north-west of the Central Bahamas and about 370 miles (595.46km) south-east of Cape Canaveral in Brevard county, Florida, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said. It was headed north at 7mph (11kph) and its maximum sustained winds were 40mph (65kph).
The center said the system was expected to move across the central and northwestern Bahamas on Sunday and turn east-northeastward, away from the southeastern US, by the middle of the week.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for the east coast of Florida from the Palm Beach-Martin county line to the Flagler-Volusia county line, the center said, urging residents along the south-east US coast to monitor the system. A tropical storm watch means tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours.
South Carolina’s governor, Henry McMaster, urged people to monitor the weather closely and stay alert. And in North Carolina, governor Josh Stein declared a state of emergency in advance of the system.
The storm could bring high winds and heavy rain, which could produce flooding, he said. The state was prepositioning search and rescue crews over the weekend.
Humberto weakened slightly on Sunday but still had maximum powerful sustained winds of 150mph (240kph), according to the hurricane center, making it a Category 4 hurricane. It was located about 535 miles (861km) south of Bermuda and was moving west-north-west at 13mph (20kph).
A tropical storm watch could be required in Bermuda later in the day, forecasters said, and swells could reach the US east coast on Monday.
There were rains in the Dominican Republic on Friday, leading authorities to evacuate hundreds of people and declare a red alert in five provinces.
Swells generated by Tropical Storm Narda, formerly a hurricane, were affecting coastal Mexico and Baja California Sur, forecasters said, and life-threatening surf and rip current conditions are possible in southern California. It was, however, rapidly weakening and was expected to become post-tropical on Sunday evening or Monday.
