According to information released by the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Fay has passed over the Mona Passage which separates Puerto Rico and the island of Hispaniola and has grown stronger during the process.

A tropical storm warning has been issued by the Dominican Republic for the north and south coasts; there is currently another one referring to the northern area of Haiti. Cuba has also put out a tropical storm warning for three provinces: Granma, Guantanamo and Santiago De Cuba.

In the 12 to 24 hours to come, Tropical Storm Fay is expected to bring heavy rain and powerful winds to the islands in its vecinity, possibly causing serious floods.

As Expert Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said, Fay could easily "spin up" if it manages to move away from the mountainous islands and reach warm water. Commenting upon the possible directions the developing system could take, Expert Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski mentioned two factors that could influence its path: the forward speed the system has and the formation of a high pressure area in the southeastern region of the US.

He went on to say that if the system does speed up, it could start heading east of Florida to the Carolinas. Systems with wind speeds of at least 39 mph are considered tropical storms; once the wind speed reaches 74 mph the system’s name changes to that of hurricane.

The impact Tropical Storm Fay would have on the local oil and energy industry would not be very significant, as most of the operations are being carried out in the western Gulf.