Tropical storm warnings have been discontinued across the Leeward Islands as weather forecasters predict that Tropical Storm Maria could become a tropical depression or degenerate to a tropical wave later today.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said that Tropical Storm Maria, the 13th named storm of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season was located about 25 miles north-east of Antigua with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.
It said that all warnings for islands in the Leeward Islands as well as the Lesser Antilles had been discontinued, even as it warned that residents in the Leeward Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as the south-eastern Bahamas should monitor the passage of the weather system.
The centre of the storm is located near latitude 17.3 north, longitude 61.5 west and it is expected to move towards the northwest at 15 miles per hour.
The NHC said that weakening of the storm is expected during the next few hours as “Maria could become a tropical depression or degenerate to a tropical wave later today”. (CMC)
