Hurricane Omar Stronger in Caribbean

Hurricane warnings were posted Wednesday for several islands in the Eastern Caribbean Sea as Hurricane Omar strengthened, U.S. forecasters said.

A hurricane warning was in effect for St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barthelemy, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, St. Kitts and Nevis and the islands of Vieques and Culebra.

A hurricane watch remained in effect for Puerto Rico, and forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said that would likely be upgraded to a hurricane warning later Wednesday.

At 11 a.m., the center said Omar was about 235 miles southwest of St. Croix and about 235 miles south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, moving northeast near 9 mph.

The storm had sustained winds of 85 mph and strengthening to a Category 2 hurricane was forecast by the time it reaches the Leeward Islands, the center said. Hurricane-force winds extended 15 miles and tropical storm-force winds reached 115 miles from the center, forecasters said.

The forecasters warned the various islands could see as much as 12 inches of rain that could produce flash flooding and landslides.