Beryl weakens to tropical storm en route to Caribbean

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Beryl weakened to a tropical storm Saturday but was still expected to dump heavy rain over the Lesser Antilles at the end of the weekend on its way to the eastern Caribbean, bringing a new threat to islands still rebuilding from last year’s storms.

A tropical storm warning was issued for Guadeloupe and Dominica, the latter still recovering after a battering by Hurricane Maria in September as a Category 5 storm. Dominica’s meteorological service said weather conditions would start deteriorating Saturday night and warned of at least 4 inches of rain, with the storm expected to pass over or near Dominica late Sunday or early Monday.

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said in a public address that the storm’s track and intensity could still change and urged people to remain alert. He also asked people to store water because he said the government would be shutting down the water system as a protective measure.

“They should not let their guard down,” he said.

Officials in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe said people should prepare for winds of 50 mph and waves of up to 10 feet.

A tropical storm watch was issued for the French Caribbean territories of Martinique, St. Martin and St. Barts as well as St. Maarten and the islands of Barbados, St. Lucia, Saba and St. Eustatius. Deeper into the Caribbean, a state of emergency was declared in Puerto Rico, where Maria caused damage estimated at more than $100 billion.

Beryl had become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season Friday, but it weakened to a tropical storm Saturday. Late in the afternoon, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Beryl had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.