Tropical Storm Gonzalo reached hurricane strength as churned through the Caribbean on Monday and headed toward the British Virgin Islands, the US National Hurricane Center said. Gonzalo was about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of St. Maarten, the half-French, half-Dutch island, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). A hurricane warning was in effect for the British Virgin Islands and hurricane watches were in effect for Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Anguilla and the US Virgin Islands.
Gonzalo was forecast to continue gaining strength and become a major hurricane on Wednesday with sustained winds of 115 mph (185 (kph). Most forecasts showed Gonzalo posing no threat of landfall in the mainland United States and spinning away in a northerly direction over the Atlantic after passing Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, consumers stocked up on water, batteries and other emergency supplies as government officials urged residents to take precautions against a possible strike by Gonzalo, which was forecast to pass to the northeast of the island.
"My call to the people is to err on the side of caution," Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said at a noon press conference as he urged people to stay indoors. While the center of the storm was projected to pass offshore, Puerto Rico remained in its path, said Roberto Garcia, the National Weather Service director in San Juan. "If the system moves south, it will pass very close to Puerto Rico, and sustained tropical force winds will touch the big island and the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra," Garcia said.
Extra ferry service was provided to Vieques and Culebra on Sunday and Monday prior to the storm to ensure that tourists could leave before the storm. Emergency personnel were placed on alert and storm shelters were being set up at public schools and other facilities. The Explorer of the Seas cruise ship changed schedule to arrive early and spend the night in port.
Gonzalo is the sixth hurricane of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season. In August, forecasters downgraded their outlook for the season, predicting below-normal activity with seven to 12 named storms and no more than two reaching major hurricane status. A major hurricane is considered to be Category 3 or above with winds hitting at least 111 mph (178 kph).
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}