Powerful Hurricane Imelda Batters Bahamas, Claims Life in Cuba

Tropical Storm Imelda is battering the Bahamas, forcing school closures and mandatory evacuations across multiple islands. The storm sits just 35 miles north of Great Abaco Island, an area still recovering from Hurricane Dorian's devastating Category 5 impact in 2019. Meanwhile, a landslide triggered by the weather system has killed one person in Cuba.

Imelda packs maximum winds of 60 mph and moves north at 9 mph. The National Hurricane Center in Miami expects it to strengthen into a hurricane by Tuesday before heading into open ocean waters.

Here's where it gets interesting for the U.S. coast. Hurricane Humberto, a powerful Category 4 storm churning in nearby open waters, will likely force Imelda to make a sharp turn east and northeast. This steering effect should pull the storm away from the southeastern United States.

"This is really what's going to save the United States from catastrophic rainfall," said Alex da Silva, senior hurricane expert at AccuWeather, a private American weather forecasting company.

The Bahamas faces a particularly tough situation. Great Abaco Island and surrounding areas are still rebuilding infrastructure and communities destroyed by Dorian five years ago. That hurricane killed over 70 people and left thousands homeless, making the current evacuations even more challenging for residents who've barely recovered.

For the broader Caribbean region, Imelda represents another reminder of how active this hurricane season has become. The storm's interaction with Humberto shows how multiple weather systems can influence each other's paths, sometimes in ways that protect populated coastlines.

Weather forecasters will watch closely as Imelda strengthens. Even though it appears headed away from major population centers, hurricanes can change direction quickly, and the Bahamas remains vulnerable until the storm clears the area completely.