Tropical Storm Grace to become Hurricane

As per reports, Tropical Storm Grace is gaining strength as Hurricane by the time it reaches the Yucatán coast of Mexico this week. The forecasters are also closely monitoring Tropical Storm Henri, which is expected to pass by Bermuda in the next few days.

Tropical storm power winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the centre, in the hurricane centre at 8 p.m. Grace has maintained winds of 40 km / h and gusts of 52 km / h. Jamaica was still under threat of heavy rain and heavy floods.

The storm continues to be reorganized and has sustained maximum winds of 50 km / h with higher gusts, according to the hurricane centre.

Grace was about 50 miles west of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and about 185 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman at 8 p.m. advisory.

"Regardless of Grace's exact intensity at the moment, the immediate threat is still heavy rain over western Hispaniola and over Jamaica, which could potentially cause severe flooding in some places," said Richard Pasch, currently posted as senior Hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center.

The National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane warnings for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and a hurricane warning for the Cayman Islands in its 5 p.m.

Tropical storm conditions had hit Jamaica and began spreading across eastern Cuba as floodwaters inundated parts of Haiti, according to the National Hurricane Center. But the tropical storm wall for Haiti was stopped at 2 p.m. advisory.

Haiti, which is still recovering from Saturday's destructive 7.2 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people, faced a possible 1 to 2 inches of rain, with isolated areas covering up to 15 inches of rain over its southern terrain, according to the hurricane centre. This heavy rainfall could lead to lightning and urban floods, and possible mudslides.

On the forecast path, Grace was expected to move off the north coast of Jamaica and then be off the Cayman Islands late Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

Grace is expected to strengthen in a hurricane on Wednesday, with some additional strengthening possible before reaching its central Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico late Wednesday or early Thursday, Pasch wrote in the advice.