The storm’s maximum sustained winds increased early Tuesday to near 40 mph with additional strengthening expected during the next two days.
Karen is centered about 110 miles south of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is moving north near 7 mph.
No damage was reported, and communications after the quake were swift because authorities were already on duty for Karen, said Kiara Hernández, spokeswoman for Puerto Rico’s emergency management agency.
Schools and government offices were already ordered closed in Puerto Rico as well as in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, with officials warning people to stay indoors.
“We’ve had a number of these events now, and I know it’s like the little boy who cried wolf, but I’m urging the public to remain ever vigilant,” U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said.
A tropical storm warning remained in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and forecasters said certain areas could experience stronger winds.
Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez activated the National Guard on Monday and urged people in flood-prone areas to seek shelter.
“It’s a reality that we might have power outages,” Vázquez said.
Roberto Garcia, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service’s San Juan office, said 2 to 4 inches of rain was expected, with up to 8 inches in isolated areas, by the time the storm passed by on Tuesday. He added that some towns in the eastern part of Puerto Rico would likely be hit with moderate to serious flooding, especially those next to mountains.
Farther north, Tropical Storm Jerry was moving northward and was projected to pass near Bermuda by Wednesday morning. It was about 300 miles southwest of Bermuda and had sustained winds of 65 mph.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lorenzo formed over the far eastern Atlantic and was projected to become a major hurricane by the end of the week, though while curving out over open sea away from land. It was centered about 270 miles southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. It was heading west at 15 mph.