Tropical Storm Dorian strengthens in the Atlantic

Tropical Storm Dorian has formed to the east of the Caribbean and is working its way towards a group of islands called the Lesser Antilles.

It is the fourth named tropical system of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season.

A tropical storm warning is in place for Barbados, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. This means that tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours. As Dorian continues to make its way towards islands in the Caribbean, more warnings and watches are expected. 

The centre of the storm is expected to pass close to Barbados on Monday night, into Tuesday morning, before crossing the Lesser Antilles and heading towards Puerto Rico. Throughout Monday, as the storm gets closer to land, the surf will become dangerous for swimmers and small craft along the east-facing beaches of the islands.

The storm is expected to gradually strengthen over the coming few days and by Wednesday, could become hurricane strength, with sustained winds of 120 kilometres an hour or more.

Dorian is a small storm, which means the strong, potentially damaging winds will not be felt across large areas. However, small storms can rapidly intensify.

Should the storm intensify into a hurricane before reaching the Lesser Antilles, the islands will be at a much greater risk of storm surge flooding and wind damage.

Depending on its exact track and intensity, the storm could cause flash floods and mudslides, with as much as 200mm of rain falling across some areas.