Tropical Storm Chantal headed to Leeward and Windward Islands

Tropical Storm Chantal moved toward the Caribbean early Tuesday potentially bringing along torrential rain and an intense storm surge in the area.

Chantal was last reported to be about 75 miles from Barbados early Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm seems to be heading west towards the Windward and Leeward islands. According to a projection map, the storm wil brush Puerto Rico and slam into the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Wednesday.

Currently, Chantal carries 50 mph winds but is expected to intensify over the next couple of days. The hurricane center added that the storm will probably dump 2 to 6 inches of rain over the Leeward and Windward Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and parts of southern Dominican Republic.