By the CNN Wire Staff <\/p>\n
updated 9:42 PM EDT, Sun October 14, 2012 <\/p>\n
On Bay Road in Basseterre, St. Kitts, two taxis were washed down to the shoreline when they tried to cross the flooded road. <\/p>\n
STORY HIGHLIGHTS <\/p>\n
(CNN) -- Tropical Storm Rafael unleashed heavy rain and powerful gusts on the Leeward Islands on Sunday and could turn into a hurricane by Monday, forecasters said. <\/p>\n
With sustained winds of 60 mph, Rafael could get even stronger as it bears down on several islands popular with tourists. <\/p>\n
As of 5 p.m. ET, Rafael was centered about 185 miles (298 kilometers) northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm was moving north-northwest at 10 mph (16 kph) and was expected to turn northward by Monday. <\/p>\n
A projection map shows Rafael headed toward Bermuda later this week. <\/p>\n
Officials there issued a tropical storm watch Sunday and told residents that they expected the storm to affect the British territory on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
While the National Hurricane Center predicted Rafael will stay well to the east of the Bahamas through Monday, it did warn of life-threatening surf conditions and rip currents on the eastward-facing beaches of the Bahamas over the next few days. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read this article: <\/p>\n
Tropical Storm Rafael pummels Virgin Islands, heads toward Bermuda<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By the CNN Wire Staff updated 9:42 PM EDT, Sun October 14, 2012 On Bay Road in Basseterre, St. Kitts, two taxis were washed down to the shoreline when they tried to cross the flooded road. Continue reading