Hurricane Fiona now a Category 3 with top winds of 115 mph; two tropical depressions could form this week

In addition to Hurricane Fiona, which is now a major Category 3 hurricane, National Hurricane Center forecasters also are tracking a disturbance that is expected to approach the Caribbean. It has been given a 40% chance of developing into a tropical depression this week.

Another tropical depression has a 60% chance of forming in the open waters of the central Atlantic, though it poses no threat to land.

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If named storms were to form, they would be Gaston and Hermine.

Meanwhile, the center of a strengthening Fiona was nearing Grand Turk Island early Tuesday.

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Fiona, the third Atlantic hurricane of the season, was about 20 miles southeast of the island as of 5 a.m., moving north-northwest at 10 mph.

Storm surge near Turks and Caicos could raise water levels by as much as 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels into Tuesday, experts said. The southeastern Bahamas should see tropical storm conditions by early Tuesday. Fiona is expected to pivot north-northwest on Tuesday and north on Wednesday, well out into the open Atlantic Ocean.

In addition to Hurricane Fiona, which is now a major Category 3 hurricane, National Hurricane Center forecasters also are tracking a disturbance that is expected to approach the Caribbean. It has a 40% chance of developing into a tropical depression this week, according to the National Hurricane Center. Another tropical depression has a 60% chance of forming in the open waters of the central Atlantic, though it poses no threat to land. (National Hurricane Center)

Flooding is still a major threat in the Dominican Republic, where rain totals could reach at least 20 inches on the eastern part of the island. Puerto Rico could see a maximum of 35 inches, according to experts. The National Hurricane Center warned that the eastern Dominican Republic could experience life-threatening flash and urban flooding through early Tuesday.

The storm is expected to strengthen during the next few days, according to the National Hurricane Center. Its hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 30 miles from its center and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 150 miles.

[ RELATED: Stay updated with the latest forecast for tropical weather at SunSentinel.com ]

Fiona caused an island-wide blackout in Puerto Rico on Sunday, striking on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which hit Puerto Rico 33 years ago as a Category 3 storm, and just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 4 storm that struck on Sept. 20, 2017.

“The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic,” said Gov. Pedro Pierluisi on Monday.

The storm also caused numerous landslides and tore the roofs off homes, including that of Nelson Cirino in the northern coastal town of Loiza.

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“I was sleeping and saw when the corrugated metal flew off,” he said as he watched rain drench his belongings and wind whip his colorful curtains into the air.

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One man died in the French territory of Guadeloupe when floods from then-Tropical Storm Fiona washed his home away, according to The Associated Press.

In the Dominican Republic, nearly 800 people were evacuated to safer locations, and more than 500 were in shelters, officials said. The storm also triggered mudslides that damaged highways.

The eastern provinces, home to many of the country’s beach resorts, took the brunt of the storm — a potential blow to a tourism industry that is crucial to the country’s economy, but still recovering from a slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 hurricane season set a record with 30 named systems, while 2021′s season was the third-most active with 21 named systems. An average year calls for 14 named storms.

Hurricane season ends Nov. 30.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.