Weather forecasters, troubled by communication problems linking them to a “hurricane hunter” aircraft sent to bore into a tropical depression just east of here, still put Barbados on standby for a likely tropical storm “at short notice”. “Communications problems have limited the amount of data from the Air Force Reserve aircraft investigating the elongated area of low pressure about 500 miles east of the Northern Windward Islands,” the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami said. The NHC forecasters said that the system had not yet become a storm as it lacked a well-defined centre that is characteristic of a cyclone. “Reports from the aircraft along with satellite imagery and surface observations indicate that the system does not have a well-defined surface circulation,” the NHC said in its 4:55 p.m. advisory. But the forecasters did not rule out the system becoming the next named storm of the Atlantic system, Emily, and urged the northern Windward and Leeward Islands to remain on “standby”. “Conditions are expected to remain favourable for a tropical depression or tropical storm to form and this system has a high chance – near 100 per cent – of becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours as it moves west-northwestward near 15 miles per hour (24 kilometres per hour),” the NHC advisory added. But even as the large tropical depression inched its way across the Atlantic, a tropical wave slightly to its west appeared to merge with the system and had already begun to affect the Eastern Caribbean, threatening to dampen Kadooment celebrations. Persistent showers and a dark pall of rain-laden skies descended late today, bringing an early dusk to the island. “Indications are that some of this activity will persist into Monday,” a Barbados Meteorological Office special bulletin said. “Residents should remain on the alert and continue to monitor any further updates from this office.” The NHC said another “hurricane hunter” aircraft was scheduled to investigate the low pressure system on Monday morning. (CMC)
