MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Raymond, the third system now off the west coast of Mexico, formed Thursday in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Raymond was about 115 miles (190 kilometers) south-southeast of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Maximum wind speeds were 45 mph (75 km/h) and were moving west-northwest at 14 mph (22 km/h).
At the same time, Tropical Storm Priscilla continued off the west coast of Mexico and brought rain to the Baja California peninsula.
Former tropical storm Octave was also churning in the eastern Pacific Ocean near Mexico, but was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone Thursday morning and was expected to dissipate soon.
THIS IS BREAKING NEWS. AP's earlier story appears below.
MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Jerry roiled the Atlantic Thursday on its way to the Leeward Islands, while Tropical Storm Priscilla moved along Mexico's Pacific coast, threatening heavy rain and flooding along its path, forecasters said.
Priscilla could cause flash flooding in the southwestern United States over the weekend, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
And off the southeastern U.S. coast, an unnamed storm along with unusually high King Tides as the Moon moves closer than usual to Earth threatened to bring days of strong winds that could cause coastal flooding, especially along North Carolina's vulnerable outer shores and in frequently flooded Charleston, South Carolina.
Tropical Storm Jerry will pass the Leeward Islands
Jerry's center was about 310 miles (495 kilometers) east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands and was moving west-northwest at 18 mph (30 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (105 kph), the center said.
The storm was expected to pass near or northeast of the northern Leeward Islands Thursday evening.
Authorities on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe warned of blackouts on Thursday, saying the island's power grid is facing power generation problems that began earlier this week and that inclement weather could make them worse.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for Barbuda, and a tropical storm watch was issued for Antigua, Anguilla, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat, St. Barts and St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius, and Guadeloupe and surrounding islands, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm should strengthen into a hurricane by Friday evening. Northeast winds, which are expected to send rain and waves across the southeastern U.S., are helping to push Jerry away from the islands and into the open Atlantic, forecasters said.
Coastal storm will cause flooding along the southeast US coast
In Charleston, a combination of a coastal storm and higher king tides has forecasters predicting a high tide of 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) Friday morning. This would be the 13th highest tide level at Charleston Harbor level, which has been recording data for more than a century.
The city offered free parking in some garages starting Thursday morning, when the tide was 0.6 feet (18 centimeters) below Friday's forecast but still flooded about a dozen streets.
Forecasters said North Carolina's Outer Banks were expected to see the worst of the weather Friday through the weekend and warned it was likely that N.C. Highway 12 on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands would likely have to be closed again due to ocean flooding.
More houses could also fall into the sea. Rising sea levels and shifting beaches have caused 21 homes to collapse since 2020, according to the National Park Service, with 10 of them destroyed by rushing waters last month as Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda moved far offshore.
New storms in the Pacific
In the Pacific Ocean, Priscilla was about 165 miles (265 km) west-southwest of southern Baja California and moving north-northwest at 8 mph (13 km/h) with maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph (75 km/h).
Priscilla approached major hurricane status on Tuesday before weakening to a tropical storm on Wednesday.
As it weakens further, the storm is expected to move into the southwestern US, and flood warnings have been issued for parts of Arizona, California and Nevada.
A tropical depression formed about 115 miles (185 kilometers) off the southwest coast of Mexico on Thursday, triggering a tropical storm watch. It is forecast to move close to shore and not exceed tropical storm strength.
Meanwhile, former Tropical Storm Octave dissipated Thursday about 360 miles (580 kilometers) from the southern tip of Baja California, the hurricane center said.
