The storm is making landfall in Puerto Rico about 65 miles south-southeast of the city of Ponce with sustained winds of 70 miles per hour — just short of a Category 1 hurricane, which has sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour. Heavy rainfall and tropical storm-force winds are already occurring in the US Virgin Islands and much of Puerto Rico. The center of Fiona, according to current forecasts, is expected to approach Sunday morning before moving near or over southwestern Puerto Rico in the afternoon or evening. Very heavy rainfall of 12 to 16 inches is forecast across a wide area of Puerto Rico, with most of the rain expected on Sunday, and isolated locations in southern and eastern Puerto Rico could see up to 25 inches, across the center of typhoon. The northern and eastern Dominican Republic is also forecast to see 4 to 8 inches of rain, with isolated totals of up to 12 inches possible. “These rains will cause life-threatening flash flooding and urban flooding across Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic, along with mudslides and landslides in areas of higher ground,” the hurricane center said. Storm surge is another threat and could raise water levels up to 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels along the southern coast of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, where onshore winds will be stronger. A hurricane warning – indicating that hurricane conditions are expected – was issued for Puerto Rico, including the islands of Vieques and Culebra, and was later extended to include the eastern Dominican Republic from Cabo Caucedo to Cabo Frances Viejo. The U.S. Virgin Islands and the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, from Cabo Frances Viejo west to Puerto Plata, are under a hurricane watch Sunday morning, meaning hurricane conditions are possible over the next 48 hours. President Joe Biden on Sunday morning approved a declaration of emergency for Puerto Rico, freeing up federal resources, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for emergency response and disaster relief efforts. The threat won’t end once the storm passes between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic: Further strengthening is forecast, and the storm could become a Category 2 hurricane as it tracks east of the Bahamas, where the government has issued a tropical storm rating for the southeastern Bahamas and a tropical storm or the Turks and Caicos Islands. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by late Monday or early Tuesday. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam contributed to this report.
