Bahamas Close Schools, Order Evacuations as Tropical Storm Imelda Nears — Forecasters Warn of Rare Storm Interaction

Authorities in the 🇧🇸Bahamas shut down most schools and ordered evacuations for some islands on Monday as Tropical Storm 🌀Imelda threatened to unleash heavy rain and flooding across the northern Caribbean.

According to The Associated Press, the storm was about 10 miles southeast of Great Abaco Island — still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian in 2019. 🌀Imelda packed maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving north at 9 mph. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said it was expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Tuesday before spinning out into open ocean.

A tropical storm warning was in place for Eleuthera, the Abacos, Grand Bahama Island, and surrounding keys. Authorities also reported power outages and closed government offices on affected islands.

Forecasters said 🌀Imelda could dump 4 to 8 inches of rain across the northwest