Tropical Storm Alex heads toward Bermuda

Bermuda, Jun 06: Tropical Storm Alex has formed off the east coast of the United States, heading toward Bermuda on Monday.

It is first named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.

Emerging partially from the remnants of Hurricane Agatha, which made landfall on Mexico's southern Pacific Coast last week and killed at least nine people, Alex strengthened over the Atlantic after becoming a tropical storm early Sunday.

The US National Hurricane Center said the tropical storm had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) late Sunday as it headed east toward Bermuda. It was centered nearly 245 miles (395 kilometers) west of Bermuda and moving in the east-northeast direction at 28 mph (44 kph).

Alex was expected to make landfall in Bermuda late on Sunday or early on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Cuba, Florida hit by storm

The storm system killed three people in Cuba, after damaging dozens of homes in the capital city of Havana, authorities reported on Saturday. Alex also knocked out electricity in some areas.

Parts of South Florida saw heavy rain and flooding on Saturday.

"We moved the water off pretty quickly, but in some areas, obviously, it was really challenging," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said, adding that the storm tested the city's recently-installed system of drainage pumps.

The infrastructural changes came as climate change makes flooding an issue in the low-lying area.

As Bermuda braces for the impact of the tropical storm, Minister of National Security Michael Weeks said emergency services were monitoring Alex.

The Pacific hurricane season typically lasts from May 15 to November 30, while the Atlantic sees its hurricane season between June 1 to November 30. Last year, the eastern Pacific saw 19 hurricanes and tropical storms and the Atlantic saw 21 tropical cyclones.

Source: DW