Tropical Storm Dorian to strike Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands

Tropical Storm Dorian is set to make landfall in the U.S. Virgin islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The storm will bring heavy rain and sustained winds up to 60 mph to the two U.S. territories, and forecasters are warning hurricane conditions are possible.

{mosads}The NHC warns that currently predicted rainfalls could trigger flash flooding that could turn deadly.

Dorian will likely be the strongest storm to make its way through the Caribbean since Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017.

A study commissioned by the Puerto Rican government found that nearly 3,000 people died as a result of Maria.

President Trump later claimed without evidence that the numbers were inflated to make him look bad after he received significant criticism over his administration’s handling of the storm.

Puerto Rican officials have declared an emergency in preparation for Dorian.

All commercial traffic in and out of the island has been suspended and all schools have been closed.

The storm is expected to hit Florida later this week.