Oct. 5, 2001 – As Tropical Storm Iris moves in a westerly direction from south of Puerto Rico Friday night, the territory will see continued heavy showers and gusty winds associated with the storm's outer bands. Sustained winds of 15 to 30 mph are expected, and flash flood and wind advisories remain in effect.
Gusty winds and occasional heavy rains began early Friday morning across the territory. The weather system is expected to taper off overnight, but residents could see some heavy rain showers and thunderstorms on Saturday. Forecaster Brad Diehl at the National Weather Service in San Juan said there was a 50 percent chance of showers on Saturday.
Tropical Storm Iris developed late Friday afternoon from Tropical Depression 11. At 5 p.m. Friday, it was located 126 miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico, at 15.8 degrees north latitude and 66.8 degrees west longitude. "You're out of harm's way," Diehl said, referring to the Virgin Islands.
With sustained winds of up to 60 mph, Tropical Storm Iris was moving west-northwest at 17 mph Friday eveing. Forecasters said the storm could become a hurricane on Saturday. Hurricane warnings were issued for the south coasts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with tropical storm warnings issued for Jamaica.
Meantime, Diehl said, a tropical wave now making its way across the Atlantic toward the Caribbean could become a tropical depression over the weekend.
