Tropical storm Alex heads for Bermuda area with wind, rain

Children walk through their neighbourhood street flooded by heavy rains in Havana, Cuba on June 3, 2022. Tropical storm Alex has drenched Cuba with almost non-stop rain for the last 24 hours as it moves across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico toward Florida. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

MIAMI -

Tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, headed for a close pass by Bermuda on Monday after deluging parts of Florida and causing three deaths in Cuba.

Alex strengthened some over the Atlantic after becoming a tropical storm early Sunday when it moved over the Altantic following its trek across Florida, where it left streets flooded and motorists stranded in some cities Saturday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Alex had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) late Sunday. It was centred about 395 kilometres west of Bermuda and moving to the east-northeast at a brisk 28 mph (44 kph).

The storm was expected to pass just north of Bermuda on Monday. A tropical storm warning was in effect on the island, where forecasters said it could drop 1 to 2 inches (25 to 50 mm) of rain from late Sunday into Monday.

Bermuda's national security minister, Michael Weeks, said emergency services were monitoring the storm.

The storm system earlier killed three people in Cuba, damaged dozens of homes in Havana and knocked out electricity in some areas, authorities reported.

Parts of South Florida experienced road flooding from heavy rain and wind Saturday.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said the storm tested the system of drainage pumps the city recently installed as climate change has increasingly made flooding an issue in the low-lying area.

“We moved the water off pretty quickly, but in some areas, obviously, it was really challenging,” Gelber said.

Alex partially emerged from the remnants of Hurricane Agatha, which made landfall on on Mexico’s southern Pacific Coast last week, killing at least nine people and leaving five missing as it moved over land.

The storm's apperance was unusually early for t he Atlantic hurricane season, which officially began last Tuesday, but it is not unprecedented for Florida.

This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Traveling during these conditions is not recommended. It’s better to wait. Turn around, don’t drown. https://t.co/uRAt0HRcNi

— City of Miami (@CityofMiami) June 4, 2022