MIAMI, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Gabrielle atrophied from tropical storm to tropical depression in the Atlantic Thursday and Tropical Storm Lorena formed in the Pacific.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 5 p.m. EDT advisory that Gabrielle was "barely a tropical cyclone" with maximum sustained winds of 30 miles per hour. The storm, centered about 30 miles south-southwest of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, was so weak the hurricane center said no coastal watches or warnings were necessary, though it said people with interests in Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the southeastern Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands should monitor its progress as it moves to the northwest at about 9 mph.
Gabrielle was expected to deteriorate further into a remnant low Thursday night or Friday as it passes over the eastern Dominican Republic. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were expected to get 2-4 inches of rain from the storm, with isolated mountain areas getting up to 8 inches that could trigger flash floods and mud slides.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico, Lorena was described in the hurricane center's 5 p.m. PDT advisory as "poorly organized" as it headed northwestward about 110 miles west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes and 285 miles southeast of Cabo San Lucas.
Lorena had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as it churned to the northwest at 12 mph.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for Baja California Sur from Agua Blanca to Buenavista.
Lorena, which was pushing tropical storm force winds up to 70 miles from its center, was expected to stay on its current track for the next couple of days, gaining some strength as it approaches the southern Baja California peninsula early Saturday, forecasters said.
Lorena was forecast to drop 3-5 inches of rain over the southwestern coast of Mexico and southern Baja California, with isolated areas getting up to 10 inches, possibly producing flash floods and mud slides.
