Furious Fiona Wreaks Havoc In Caribbean As Bermuda Could Be Next

Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico on Sunday afternoon with winds exceeding 85 mph, plunging the entire Caribbean island and unincorporated US territory into complete darkness. Now the hurricane is wreaking havoc in the Dominican Republic and could wallop Bermuda by the end of the week. 

“The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic,” Puerto Rico’s governor, Pedro Pierluisi, said. 

My God, Puerto Rico 💔pic.twitter.com/WU3H1wc1vS

— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) September 18, 2022

Severe flooding in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 right now as Hurricane Fiona moves in. Over 2 feet of rain expected.

🎥 Via @GDELISCARpic.twitter.com/TfB7L29yxX

— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) September 18, 2022

About 1.37 million residents were without power Monday morning after the Category 1 storm dumped torrential rain and unleashed damaging winds. 

Forecasters said the storm threatened to dump “historic” levels of rain on Sunday and Monday, up to 30 inches in some eastern and southern parts of Puerto Rico.

Hurricane #Fiona may produce 12 to 18 inches with a local maximum of 30 inches in Puerto Rico, particularly across the eastern and southern portions of the island. These rainfall amounts will produce catastrophic
life-threatening flash floods and urban flooding. pic.twitter.com/dy95w7bGGh

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 18, 2022

Over two feet of rain has fallen over Puerto Rico with winds topping 100 mph. #HurricaneFiona is now impacting the DR and will come close to Bermuda as a major hurricane. High surf and rip currents for the Eastern U.S. pic.twitter.com/HgG49k5LJE

— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) September 19, 2022

As of Monday morning, Fiona was 45 miles south-southeast of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was moving to the west-northwest at 10 mph. 

A Hurricane Warning has been issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands because forecast models show once the storm passes the Dominican Republic, it’ll graze the archipelago of 40 low-lying coral islands in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Hurricane #Fiona is moving over the Dominican Republic as a Cat 1 storm right now. A Hurricane Warning is out for the Turks and Caicos Islands – Fiona likely to pass by as a Cat 2 storm tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/MV7PvNLUeu

— Ella Dorsey (@Ella__Dorsey) September 19, 2022

When Fiona leaves the Bahamas in the next couple of days, it’ll gradually strengthen into what could become a Category 3 storm, turning north and northeast away from the US with crosshairs on Bermuda. 

The tropics are heating up after August was a no named storm month, the first time since 1997 and the third time since 1961.