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Tropical Storm Karen is centered in the Eastern Caribbean as of Monday morning, though it’s projected to track Northwest over the coming few days. At present, it appears that Karen will bring heavy rains and storm surge to the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico suffered greatly at the damage brought by Hurricane Maria in 2017, and as such, the island is dreading any more hurricane-force winds or flooding. The US Virgin Islands, likewise, are bracing for the impact by issuing tropical storm warnings and urging locals to take precautions in case of emergency.
Karen already knocked out power for some in Tobago on Sunday, as well as causing flooding on parts of the island. The storm downed trees, brought on landslides and trapped many people in their homes according to the Tobago Emergency Management Agency.
While it’s early to predict where the storm will go next, it’s projected to pass over the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Following landfall on those islands, it’s hard to tell what the storm’s path might be. At the time of this writing, the storm is moving somewhat slowly, only between five and ten miles per hour northwesterly.
The storm is expected to begin affecting Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands around later afternoon Tuesday, into Wednesday evening and morning. Tropical Storm warnings are in effect on both islands, meaning that 39-mph winds and rainfall are expected in the next 36 hours.
Many people think of a tropical storm as simply being a slightly beefed-up thunderstorm. However, they can still cause serious damage to infrastructure and flooding, thanks to their unique combination of weather factors.
The US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico could see flash-flooding, landslides, storm surge flooding, and trees falling due to high wind speeds. Mountainous regions are most susceptible to mudslides, while coastal areas are at more risk of storm surge flooding.
After impacting Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, it’s unclear what the next part of Karen’s path will be. The storm is fighting considerable wind shear, dry air and land interaction with Puerto Rico.
Should the storm survive these adverse conditions, it might simply turn back out to sea and peter out. At the time of this writing, it’s hard to say what the storm will do into the later part of this week.
