Tropical Storm Emily Moves Across Caribbean, Storm Alert Issued for Florida

Tropical storm Emily has been strengthening as it moves on its northwestern path and pushes its way through the Caribbean Sea.

Earlier this morning, Emily was about 265 miles (430 kilometers) off the coast of Puerto Rico traveling around 17 miles an hour but it is expected to speed up as it moves across the Caribbean Sea today and moves closer towards the Dominican Republic, where there is a tropical storm watch.

By evening, it is projected that Emily will make its way to the island of Hispaniola.

In the latest advisory by the US National Hurricane Centre, Haiti, the US Virgin Islands, and the islands of St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, and Antigua were also under the tropical storm watch.

Emily has yet to be defined as a Category 1 hurricane, the weakest type of hurricane where damage is typically leads to broken windows, destruction of older homes and roofs.

Thus far, Emily's maximum winds were up to 40 miles per hour (65 kilometers). For a tropical storm to be classified as a Category 1 hurricane it must reach winds of at least 74 mph.

Meteorologist Andy Mussoline says of the storm, "It could be impacting the Florida peninsula this weekend."