by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:19 AM ET, Mon September 23, 2019
Update: September 24, 2019 at 8:20 a.m. ET
Tourists and residents in Bermuda continue to prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Jerry, which forecasters believe will begin impacting the island Tuesday into Wednesday.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Jerry was packing maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour and was moving northeast toward Bermuda. The island will begin experiencing Tropical-storm-force winds Tuesday night with storm surge and heavy rain expected into Wednesday.
As Puerto Rico prepares for the likely impact of Tropical Storm Karen, CBS News is reporting the island was hit by a 6.0-magnitude earthquake Monday night and three subsequent aftershocks that left residents and tourists rattled.
Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Kiara Hernandez said, "there were no immediate reports of damage and that there was no risk of tsunami." Karen is expected to begin impacting Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Tuesday.
The rain and potential flooding from the storm system will likely continue into Wednesday even after the center of Karen moves away from the impacted islands.
Hurricane season is in full swing as Tropical Storms Jerry and Karen continue to impact travelers planning vacations in the Caribbean and the Atlantic.
According to Weather.com, Karen is expected to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Tuesday and Wednesday, with the islands issuing tropical storm warnings.
Meteorologists believe tropical-storm-force winds will start impacting the popular tourist destinations Tuesday, but it remains too early to tell if the storm will affect any other land areas, including the mainland United States.
As for Tropical Storm Jerry, it is not expected to regain hurricane status as it passes near Bermuda late Tuesday. The storm is currently located around 520 miles southwest of the island, but no watches or warnings are in effect yet.
Travelers taking to the skies should be checking with their airlines, as carriers such as American, Delta and United have issued travel advisories due to Tropical Storms Jerry and Karen.
Many passengers flying to Bermuda, San Juan and St. Thomas in the coming days will be able to adjust their itinerary without incurring a change fee.
Cruise passengers scheduled to sail this week in the Caribbean could also face itinerary changes due to Tropical Storm Karen. According to CruiseCritic.com, the Carnival Fascination altered its planned stop in St. Thomas on September 23 and Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas has removed stops in St. Maarten and Puerto Rico this week.
As for the impact of Tropical Storm Jerry, Cruise Critic reports the Carnival Breeze and Carnival Sunshine will skep Bermuda this week, while the Disney Fantasy will sail a Western Caribbean itinerary to avoid the storms entirely.
Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas also revised its itinerary to avoid Bermuda Wednesday.
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