Tropical Storm Rafael has formed over the eastern Caribbean Sea, triggering storm warnings for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and several other islands.
Rafael was centered about 200km west-southwest of the island of Dominica and was moving north-northwest at 19kmh.
It had top sustained winds of 65kmh and was forecast to move on a northern path that posed no threat to the United States or the Gulf of Mexico, where U.S. oil and gas operations are clustered.
Storm warnings were also issued for Antigua, the British Virgin Islands, St. Martin, Guadeloupe and St. Lucia, alerting residents to expect storm conditions in some areas later Friday night.
The storm was expected to move east of Puerto Rico on Saturday (local time) and out over the open Atlantic Ocean.
