The
depression, about 1,425 miles (2,295 km) east of the southern
Windward Islands, is packing maximum sustained winds of 35 miles
per hour (55 km per hour), the Miami-based forecaster said.
"The depression is forecast to strengthen and move across the
Lesser Antilles as a hurricane on Thursday and Friday, bringing
a risk of flooding from heavy rainfall, hurricane-force winds,
and dangerous storm surge and waves," the hurricane center said.
While it was too early to specify the location and magnitude of
where those hazards could occur, the center urged authorities in
the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to
closely monitor the system and have hurricane plans in place.
If the depression becomes a hurricane, it would be the first one
of the 2023 season, which lasts from June through November.
A slightly below-average 2023 Atlantic hurricane season lies
ahead with an El Nino weather phenomenon damping the storm
outlook, researchers at Colorado State University predicted in
April.
(Reporting by Deep Vakil and Seher Dareen in Bengaluru; editing
by Jonathan Oatis)
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