Tropical Storm Expected to Hit the Bahamas This Weekend, Less Than Two Weeks After Hurricane Dorian

Stacey Leasca

Just a few days ago, the Bahamas was ravaged by Hurricane Dorian. The storm, which made landfall as a category 5 event, devastated the island bringing flooding, damaging winds and causing the deaths of dozens of people before moving offshore. And now, less than two weeks later, it looks like the islands may be hit with another tropical storm.

Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine is expected to become a tropical depression or a tropical storm as it moves northwestward over the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to the Central and Northwest Bahamas today, including areas recently devastated by Hurricane Dorian. | NOAA
Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine is expected to become a tropical depression or a tropical storm as it moves northwestward over the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to the Central and Northwest Bahamas today, including areas recently devastated by Hurricane Dorian. | NOAA

The storm, CNN reported, will likely strengthen into a tropical depression then a tropical storm by the time it makes landfall. According to forecasters, it could hit with maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph.

According to NBC, the U.S. National Weather Service issued a new advisory warning for the Bahamas, including the Abaco Islands, for a storm expected to arrive this weekend. Though NBC reported, no significant storm surge is anticipated, it could bring an additional two to four inches of rain.

“There will be rain ... over (an) area that certainly doesn't need any rain," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers added.

That rain could further hamper rescue and rebuilding efforts in the islands. USA Today reported, some 1,300 people are still listed as missing following Hurricane Dorian. The website Dorian People Search has a more extensive list that includes 11,600 people. Of those, nearly 4,500 people are described as status "unknown."

“The grief is unbearable,” Hubert Minnis, the prime minister, said in a nationwide TV address. “Many are in despair, wondering if their loved ones are still alive.” According to Minnis, much of the island of Abaco "is decimated and no longer exists." He added, "There are many deaths and many still missing,"

"Floodwaters in the streets made them appear like the ocean," Minnis said. "Concrete structures were turned to dust, as if a massive bomb had exploded with atomic force."

After the storm moves past the Bahamas it could move toward Florida's Atlantic coast with tropical-storm-force winds by Saturday, CNN reported. In what is perhaps the only small silver lining, CNN explained, the Atlantic hurricane season should reach its statistical peak this week, meaning the frequency of strong storms should diminish as the days go by.

The Bahamas still needs your help. Dozens of organizations are currently seeking monetary and physical donations to assist in both saving lives and rebuilding the community. Find out how you can help here.