Puerto Rico, with a hurricane warning by Fiona 3:18
(CNN) --
Fiona has strengthened into a hurricane and now has sustained winds of 80 mph with gusts up to 100 mph, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.
The center of Hurricane Fiona is located about 80 kilometers south of Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Fiona is the third hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, after Danielle and Earl.
The impacts of the storm are already being felt: at least one death has been reported in Basse-Terre, in the French territory of Guadeloupe, according to the vice president of the territory's environmental agency, who said the capital had been devastated by flooding. .
And in Puerto Rico, where more than 470,000 customers were without power as of noon Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us, and according to the National Weather Service flash flooding has already begun.
The hurricane is approaching Puerto Rico south of the city of Ponce, the hurricane center said.
Winds are expected to pick up along the immediate coast, while conditions are forecast to deteriorate through the afternoon and evening on Sunday as Fiona moves near or over the southwestern part of Puerto Rico.
There is a possibility that the center of Fiona borders Puerto Rico, preventing a traditional "landfall".
But regardless, the impacts of the storm remain the same.
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"Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours as Fiona moves near Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and over the southwestern Atlantic," the hurricane center said.
"Hurricane conditions are expected in Puerto Rico today, and are expected in parts of the eastern Dominican Republic tonight and Monday."
Parts of Puerto Rico could see up to 25 inches of rain as Tropical Storm Fiona approaches.
Dominican Republic will also receive heavy rains
Very heavy rains of 304 to 406 millimeters are forecast in a wide swath of Puerto Rico.
Most of the rain is expected on Sunday and isolated spots in southern and eastern Puerto Rico could see up to 635mm, according to the hurricane center.
The northern and eastern Dominican Republic are also forecast to see 101 to 203mm of rain, with isolated totals of up to 304mm possible.
The Atlantic hurricane season has been exceptionally quiet.
Why?
"These rains will produce life-threatening flash flooding and urban flooding in Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic, along with landslides and landslides in areas of higher ground," the hurricane center said.
Current forecast for Storm Fiona across the Atlantic.
Storm surge poses another threat and could raise water levels 30 to 90 centimeters above normal tide levels along the southern coast of Puerto Rico and in the Dominican Republic, where onshore winds will be strongest. .
A hurricane warning, indicating that hurricane conditions are expected, was issued for Puerto Rico, including the islands of Vieques and Culebra, and was later expanded to include the eastern Dominican Republic from Cabo Caucedo to Cabo Francés Viejo.
The US Virgin Islands and the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, from Cabo Francés Viejo west to Puerto Plata, are under a hurricane watch Sunday morning, meaning hurricane conditions are possible in the next 48 hours.
Rain accumulation forecast due to tropical storm Fiona.
President Joe Biden on Sunday morning approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico, freeing up federal resources, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for emergency response and disaster relief efforts.
The threat will not end once the storm passes between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Further strengthening is expected, and the official forecast indicates that Fiona could become a major hurricane by Wednesday as it moves east of the Bahamas and Bermuda.
"Fiona appears likely to become the first major Atlantic hurricane of this season in a few days," the hurricane center said.
CNN's Melissa Alonso and Meteorologist Derek Van Dam contributed to this report.