Bermuda in storm's path
UPDATED 6:41 AM EDT Oct 14, 2012
With sustained winds of 50 mph, Rafael could get even stronger as it bears down on several islands popular with tourists.
As of 5 a.m. ET, Rafael was centered about 100 miles north-northwest of St. Marten, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm was moving north-northwest at 13 mph and is expected to turn northward by Monday.
A projection map shows Rafael headed toward Bermuda later this week.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for Anguilla. Tropical storm warnings that had been in effect for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, St. Marten, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts and Guadeloupe were discontinued Sunday morning.
Forecasters expect Rafael to leave between 3 to 5 inches of rain over the Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands, with some pockets getting as much as 10 inches.
"These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in areas of mountainous terrain," the hurricane center said.
The storm could impact rescue efforts for two men and one woman whose small aircraft crashed Saturday morning about six nautical miles (7 miles) south of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad said. They were aboard a twin-engine Piper PA-23 that left St. Croix destined for St. Thomas, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.
Rescue crews from the Coast Guard and U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Natural Resources saved one female passenger, Valerie Jackson, who told them three others were still unaccounted for.
A Coast Guard cutter ship, two helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft have been dispatched from Puerto Rico for the search, Castrodad said. The effort continued Saturday night despite what the Coast Guard spokesman said were deteriorating conditions due to Rafael.
Source: http://www.wptz.com/news/national/Tropical-Storm-Rafael-hits-Virgin-Islands/-/8869978/16981822/-/dwxcow/-/index.html#ixzz29Hd5Qslj.
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