MIAMI (AP) — Tropical storms Juliette and Fernand churned Tuesday over open waters, one in the Pacific Ocean and one in the Atlantic, at the same time as some officials continued to deal with the aftermath of the massive Hurricane Erin which neared the northern Caribbean and U.S. last week.
No coastal watches or warnings were in effect for either tropical storm, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Tropical Storm Juliette posed no immediate threat to land, forecasters said. The storm was in the Pacific about 500 miles (804 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. It had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (113 kph).
It was moving northwest at 10 mph (16 kph). Forecasters said Juliette could briefly become a hurricane Tuesday before a weakening Wednesday.
In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Fernand also was far from land and forecast to remain over open ocean waters. On Tuesday, it was about 635 miles (1,022 kilometers) south of Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (64 kph) and heading northeast at 13 mph (21 kph).
Forecasters said Fernand could become a post-tropical cyclone by Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, heavy swells from the now-dissipated Hurricane Erin were still slamming into the northern Caribbean.
On Tuesday, police in Puerto Rico said they found the body of a 31-year-old surfer who went missing Sunday off the U.S. territory’s north coast at Kikita Beach.
The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday retrieved the body of a 37-year-old surfer from a popular but dangerous break known as Chatarra in the north coastal town of Loiza.
Also on Monday, police said they found the body of a 40-year-old tourist from New York who apparently had climbed some rocks near the ocean and was swept away by a large wave.
A high surf advisory was in place over the weekend through Tuesday, with waves of more than 10 feet (3 meters) crashing along Puerto Rico’s north coast.
The Associated Press
