Quake-hit Haiti faces fresh threat from Tropical Storm Grace
The earthquake-devastated Haiti was facing a new threat Saturday — from the newly formed Tropical Storm Grace.
Threat level: Grace was forecast to bring up to seven inches of rainfall for Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the next 48 hours, along with possible flooding and mudslides in the coming days, per an 8 p.m. advisory from the National Weather Service. Its effects were expected to bring heavy rainfall to Florida next week.
Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.
"The government of the Dominican Republic has issued a Tropical Storm Watch from the south coast of the Dominican Republic from Haiti border eastward to Cabo Caucedo and for the north coast of the Dominican Republic from Samana westward to the Haiti border," the NWS said.
"On the forecast track, the center of Grace is expected to pass through the Leeward Islands tonight, near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Sunday, near or over the Dominican Republic Sunday night and Monday, and then near or over Haiti Monday night."
Yes, but: "Both the future track and intensity of Grace have a high level of uncertainty," the NWS noted.
The big picture: Grace formed early Saturday, some 400 miles east of the Leeward Islands, where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean.
It was some 15 miles north of the Guadeloupe islands, in the southern Caribbean Sea, by Saturday evening.
Of note: Former Tropical Storm Fred was expected to regain strength over the Gulf of Mexico within 48 hours.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has declared a state of emergency for Florida's Panhandle region ahead of Fred's expected restrengthening into a tropical storm.
Heavy rain was forecast for the Southeastern U.S. from Sunday night into Tuesday.
Go deeper: NOAA's updated hurricane outlook calls for even more storms in 2021
Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
