news, breaking news and how the cyclone is affecting Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic

Hurricane Fiona remains a major Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds and even higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 5 a.m. ET update. The center of the storm is now just 40 kilometers southeast of Grand Turk Island.

The only major change with this hurricane update is that the hurricane watch for the Dominican Republic has been discontinued. A hurricane warning is in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands and a tropical storm warning is in effect for the southeastern Bahamas.

Fiona’s outer bands will continue to produce heavy rain over most of the eastern and coastal sections of the Dominican Republic and into local parts of southern Puerto Rico over the next 24 hours as Fiona moves north-northwestward over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Additional localized flash and urban flooding is possible in the southern part of Puerto Rico.

Fiona is expected to continue to strengthen, reaching a Category 4 on Wednesday and will move away from the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas late Tuesday or early Wednesday morning. Fiona is forecast to be near or west of Bermuda Thursday night and early Friday morning.

Fiona is the first major hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.

Torrential rains, floods, power outages and at least two deaths are some of the catastrophic consequences of Hurricane Fiona passing through Puerto Rico. We show you a compilation of the most impressive images of the fury of this meteorological phenomenon.

Hurricane Fiona has caused record rainfall in Puerto Rico with rainfall already reaching 76 centimeters (30 inches), as confirmed in “Conclusions” by Nino Correa, commissioner of the Bureau for Emergency Management and Disaster Administration.

Hurricane Fiona has strengthened to a major hurricane, according to the 2 am update from the US National Hurricane Center.

Fiona is now a category 3 hurricane with winds of 185 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 210 kilometers per hour. The center of the storm is now just 72 kilometers south-southeast of Grand Turk Island and it is moving in a north-northwest direction at 16 kilometers per hour. No more changes with notice.

After Hurricane Fiona passed through Puerto Rico, at least one million LUMA Energy customers still do not have the electrical system enabled. Governor Pedro Pierluisi confirmed two deaths on Monday, and said that he has already had conversations with President Biden to activate an emergency plan to help the island with funds.

According to the 11:00 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Fiona has strengthened slightly with sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour, making it a Category 3 hurricane.

Heavy rains continue in the eastern parts of the Dominican Republic, while conditions are gradually improving in Puerto Rico.

A storm surge of 1.5 to 2.4 meters above normal tide is expected for the Turks and Caicos Islands through Tuesday, which is higher than the previous update. Fiona is still expected to continue to strengthen into a major hurricane in the next few hours.