Photo: AFP
A new tropical storm is gaining strength after Hurricane Fiona intensified to a Category 4 storm overnight as it continues to move through the Turks and Caicos Islands and left catastrophic destruction in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, NBC News reports.
The National Hurricane Center warned that Tropical Storm Gaston reached winds estimated to be around 50 MPH with higher gusts on Wednesday (September 21) and could affect the Azores, a group of islands in the mid-Atlantic, with potential life-threatening conditions later this week.
Fiona was estimated to be about 105 miles north of North Caicos island early Wednesday morning and about 750 miles southwest of Bermuda, where it's expected to approach late Thursday (September 22), according to the National Hurricane Center.
Fiona is reported to have sustained winds estimated at 130 MPH and migrate north at 8 MPH, according to the agency.
Multiple deaths have been reported in Puerto Rico amid widespread devastation left by the hurricane.
More than 1.1 million customers -- which accounts for nearly a third of the population -- in the U.S. territory were reported to still be without power as of Wednesday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi told residents that he expected steady and gradual improvement of power restoration while appearing in a news conference on Tuesday (September 20), though warning that more rain could lead to flooding and landslides in certain areas of the island, NBC News reports.