Tropical Storm Imelda is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Tuesday afternoon. Photo courtesy of NOAA
Sept. 29 (UPI) — Tropical Storm Imelda is expected to strengthen into a hurricane this week and bring flash and urban flooding to parts of the Caribbean and the coastal Carolinas, the National Hurricane said Monday.
Imelda, the ninth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. EDT update.
It was located about 35 miles north of Great Abaco Island and about 240 miles east-southeast of Cape Canaveral, Fla. It was moving north at 9 mph.
The NHC forecasts Imelda “to turn sharply to the east-northeast” on Tuesday. It’s also expected to strengthen into a hurricane Tuesday afternoon.
“On the forecast track, the center of the system is expected to start moving away from the northwestern Bahamas [Monday] and then turn east-northeastward, moving away from the southeastern U.S. by the middle part of this week,” the NHC update said.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the northwestern Bahamas, which includes Eleuthera, the Abacus islands, Grand Bahama Island and surrounding keys.
Cuba, the Bahamas and the coastal Carolinas were expected to receive heavy rainfall through Tuesday, which could produce flash and urban flooding. Mudslides are possible in higher terrain.
High surf and swells could also impact the east coast of Florida and Georgia on Monday.
