Tropical Storm Alex, the first so-called storm in the Atlantic hurricane season, headed to Bermuda on Sunday after rain in parts of Florida, flooding some roads.
Alex reached the strength of the tropical storm after strengthening on the east coast of Florida early Sunday.
Hurricane National Center meteorologists said at 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) that Alex had sustained maximum winds of 50 mph (80 km / h) and was centered about 635 miles (1,020 kilometers) to the west. southwestern Bermuda.
It was moving northeast at 22 mph (35 km / h) and was expected to pass near or just north of Bermuda on Monday and there was a tropical storm warning.
Parts of South Florida were flooded by heavy rain and wind on Saturday. Miami officials warned drivers of road conditions as many cars were trapped on flooded streets.
“This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. It is not recommended to travel in these conditions. It is better to wait. Turn around, do not drown,” tweeted the city of Miami.
The city was towing stranded vehicles from the flooded roads.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said the storm tested the city’s recently installed drainage pump system, as climate change has made flooding a growing problem. in the lower area.
“We got the water out pretty quickly, but in some areas it was obviously very difficult,” Gelber said. “There were problems going through some streets, one of the main arteries was impassable, but overall the water is dissipating.”
Alex partially recovered from the wreckage of Hurricane Agatha, which hit the Pacific coast of Mexico last week, killing at least nine people and leaving five missing.
In Cuba, the storm killed three people, damaged dozens of homes in Havana and cut off electricity in some areas, according to authorities. Heavy rains continued on Saturday, but were declining as the weather system moved away from the island.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on Tuesday. This is an unusually early start to the stormy season, but not without precedent for Florida.
The National Hurricane Center predicted rainfall of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in South Florida, including the Florida Keys.
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This story corrects that the storm formed in the Atlantic, not the Gulf of Mexico, and also fixes the official death toll in Mexico reduced to nine.