Although it will not directly impact Puerto Rico, the tropical storm Erin will let its effects be felt starting Friday night, so the National Weather Service (SNM) issued a flood watch for the entire island.

Meteorologist Rosalina Vázquez, of the SNM, had anticipated to El Nuevo Día that the product would be released in view of the rain associated with the system that could generate a risk of flooding while the bands of moisture from Erin pass close to the island.

The flood watch will be in effect from midnight tonight until 8:00 p.m. Monday.

The “eye” of Erin, which is expected to become a hurricane tonight, should pass about 150 to 200 miles northeast of the islands. But its outer bands will bring rain and windy conditions.

Vázquez said that this Friday night there will be a gradual increase in rainfall activity associated with Erin.

“But the bulk of the rain, thunderstorms and some tropical storm force wind gusts would be for Sunday and Monday for the eastern quadrant of the island, including Vieques and Culebra. That does not mean that the rest of the island will not be affected,” she said.

Specifically, SNM projections indicate that sectors of the northwestern part of the island could receive between one to two inches, with some isolated areas receiving up to four, during the entire event.

However, the greatest accumulations would be for the eastern region, where two to four inches is expected, with some isolated areas recording up to six inches of water.

Despite the elevated risk of flooding, Vazquez noted that the greatest risk associated with this system is the maritime conditions, as they will deteriorate with Erin’s approach.

There will be undertows, sea currents and dangerous flash floods.

“In the north and to the east, we expect swells between seven to 10 feet,” she reiterated.

In fact, in a live NWS broadcast, meteorologist Ernesto Morales, warning coordinator for the SNM, warned that "this is not a weekend to visit the beaches."

Meanwhile, Vázquez urged the public to stay tuned to the official NWS web pages, as well as the portal and information released by the National Hurricane Center (CNH).

“They should not be carried away by rumors and we always tell people that they should be prepared. We are at the peak of hurricane season," he reminded.

In its 8:00 a.m. interim bulletin, the CNH reported that Erin should become a hurricane by “late today” and achieve a major category by the weekend.

At that time, the federal agency located the system at latitude 18.5 degrees north and longitude 55.2 degrees west, moving west, northwest at 17 miles per hour.

Its maximum sustained winds remained at 70 miles per hour (mph).

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.