Humberto Hits the Bahamas

The tropical storm is expected to become a hurricane
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 14, 2019 3:01 PM CDT
Updated Sep 14, 2019 6:13 PM CDT
Battered Bahamas Face New Storm Growing Into Hurricane
A shattered gas station is seen at the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in Freetown, Grand Bahama, Bahamas, Friday Sept. 13, 2019.   (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Tropical Storm Humberto moved away from the Bahamas on Saturday after dumping rain on parts of the archipelago's northwest region that were already hammered by Hurricane Dorian two weeks ago, the AP reports. Humberto had lashed the islands as UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited the Bahamas to support humanitarian efforts in the wake of Dorian, which hit as a Category 5 storm that left thousands in need of food, water, and shelter. The list of missing stands at an alarming 1,300 people and the death toll at 50. But officials caution the list is preliminary and many people could just be unable to connect with loved ones. Humberto's rains, which fell on Abaco Island, threatened to exacerbate the nation's problems, but conditions appeared to normalize Saturday afternoon.

At 5pm EDT, the US National Hurricane Center said the storm was located about 70 miles north of Great Abaco Island and was moving 7 mph north-northwest with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. There was a tropical storm warning in effect for the northwest Bahamas, except for Andros Island, and 2 to 4 inches of rain was expected, with isolated amounts of 6 inches. Weather forecasters say Humberto will likely become a hurricane by Sunday night as it moves away from the Bahamas and the US coast, but won't threaten land by the time it intensifies to that strength. Its swells could still affect the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina later this weekend and early next week. Guterres warns that storms powered by climate change have grown more intense and more frequent.
(More Bahamas stories.)

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