Bridgetown – Caribbean countries are monitoring the progress of a weather system that is likely to become a tropical storm later on Tuesday.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said that tropical storm warnings have already gone into effect for several countries, including Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Dominican Republic. Additionally, a tropical storm watch is in effect for Saba and St Eustatius, Haiti, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeastern Bahamas.
In a weather bulletin at 11 a.m., the NHC said that the system is about 160 miles west of the French island of Guadeloupe with maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour (mph).
“The system is moving towards the west-northwest near 18 mph and this general motion is expected to continue during the next few days. On the forecast track, the disturbance is expected to pass near or over the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico later today and tonight, to be near or over Hispaniola on Wednesday, and to be near the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands Thursday,” the NHC added.
It said reports from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts.
“However, the aircraft did not find a well-defined closed circulation. Gradual strengthening is forecast during the next day or so and the disturbance is expected to become a tropical storm later today or tonight.” (CMC)
