National

Tropical Storm Chris set to become hurricane off East Coast with life-threatening surf, rip currents

Tropical Storm Chris, spinning off the Carolina coast, is forecast to become a hurricane Tuesday before racing off into the Atlantic Ocean.

Other than churning up some rough seas along the East Coast, Chris poses no direct threat to the USA. It could clip Newfoundland, Canada, later in the week.

As of 11 a.m. EDT, the center of Chris was 200 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and moving to the northeast at 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

Although there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, ocean swells from the storm "could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," along the U.S. East Coast over the next few days, the hurricane center warned.

Beachgoers in New England may notice an uptick in surf activity as the storm passes, according to AccuWeather.

Chris could make landfall as a post-tropical storm later in the week in southeastern Newfoundland, the Canadian Hurricane Centre said. If the current track holds, it will bring heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves along parts of the coast, the centre said.

The remnants of Hurricane Beryl could regenerate into a tropical depression or storm east of Florida within the next few days. Either way, heavy rains and gusty winds are likely over portions of Hispaniola and the Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center said.

Should the storm regenerate, rough seas could continue to plague swimmers and boaters along the Southeast coast, AccuWeather said.

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were hit by power outages and widespread flooding Monday as Beryl's remnants hit the Caribbean, the region's first test since last year's disastrous hurricane season. More than 47,000 customers in Puerto Rico lost electricity at the peak of the bad weather, but that number dropped to 13,000 late Monday as crews rushed to restore power.

Up to 5 inches of rain fell across Puerto Rico, the National Weather Service said. Nearly 2 inches fell in San Juan, making it the city's rainiest day of the year.

On the island of Dominica, which was devastated by Maria last year, no landslides or widespread flooding were reported, according to Marshall Alexander of Dominica’s Meteorological Service.

“Definitely, we were spared the worst,” he said.

Contributing: The Associated Press