Tropical Storm Jeanne heads for Bahamas
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Downgraded slightly from hurricane strength, Tropical Storm Jeanne is battering the Dominican Republic, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Jeanne, which earlier in the day had hurricane winds of 75 mph, had weakened slightly, according to the center.
As of 11 p.m. ET, Jeanne's winds were 70 mph (110 kph). The center of the storm was 65 miles (100 kph) northeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and was moving north-northwest at 6 mph (9 kph).
Hurricanes are classified as categories 1 to 5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. A Category 1 storm has winds of between 74-95 mph (119-153 kph).
Storm surge flooding of 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels is predicted as are "large and dangerous battering waves" along the northern coast of the Dominican Republic on Thursday, the NHC report said.
Top rainfall accumulations could range from 9 to 13 inches.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the southeastern Bahamas, the Ragged Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, the center said. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Hispaniola from Le Mole-Saint-Nicolas, Haiti, to Santo Domingo.
A hurricane watch is in effect for the central Bahamas.
Jeanne flooded many parts of Puerto Rico, and The Associated Press reported that it was blamed for the deaths of two people there.
Vieques, Puerto Rico, where trailing bands of Jeanne were still dumping rain, reported a total of 23 inches of rain over the past two days.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
