An estimated 3.98 million people in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are under a hurricane warning as Tropical Storm Jeanne nears hurricane strength, the Census Bureau said today. Based on the current projected path, the Bahamas may also experience the storm’s effects as it tracks towards Florida and the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

     Should Tropical Storm Jeanne strengthen later today as expected, it would be the sixth hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic season. The storm currently is off the coast of Puerto Rico (population 3,878,532). Its expected path could take it over the U.S. Virgin Islands (108,775) and the Bahamas (299,697) within the next few days. According to the National Hurricane Center at 11:00 a.m. EDT, Jeanne packed maximum sustained winds of about 70 mph, with tropical storm-force winds extending 60 miles from the center of the storm.

Note: The above calculations are based on projections of the storm’s path from the National Hurricane Center, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service; Census Bureau population estimates for Puerto Rico as of July 1, 2003; and population estimates for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Bahamas from the Census Bureau’s International Data Base as of April 30, 2004. The data do not include seasonal population increases in coastal and other tourist areas.