Hurricane Omar churned across the eastern Caribbean on Wednesday on a course that will take it near Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the National Hurricane Center said.Omar formed Tuesday in the eastern Caribbean and dumped heavy rain on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao off the coast of Venezuela.
At 8 a.m. ET Wednesday, its center was about 265 miles (426 kilometers) south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The storm was moving northeast at near 7 mph.
Omar's maximum sustained winds were near 80 mph (129 kilometers per hour), making it a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 15 miles from Omar's center. Tropical storm-force winds extended 105 miles from Omar's center, forecasters said.
"Omar would move through the northern Leeward Islands late tonight and early Thursday," the hurricane center in Miami, Florida, said.
A hurricane warning is in effect for several Leeward Islands, including the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, the Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra, St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barthelemy, Anguilla, St. Kitts and Nevis.
The island of Puerto Rico is under a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch, but there could be a hurricane warning later Thursday, the hurricane center said.
A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected in the warning area within the next 24 hours.
Antigua, Barbuda and Montserrat are under a tropical storm warning, meaning these locations could experience tropical storm conditions in the next 24 hours. iReport.com: Are you there? Tell us what you see
The storm's forecast track shows it heading into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean after crossing over the Virgin Islands -- possibly as a Category 2 hurricane -- late Wednesday or early Thursday. Hurricane tracks are subject to variation, however, and predictions can change.
The storm is expected to dump up to 8 inches of rain over the Netherlands Antilles -- the chain of Caribbean islands off Venezuela's coast -- according to the NHC. Some areas could get 12 inches of rain.
Puerto Rico and some portions of the northern Leeward Islands, which include the Virgin Islands, could get up to 20 inches of rain, according to the forecast.
"These rains could produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the hurricane center warned.
Also, the storm could produce large swells affecting the western and southern coasts of the Lesser Antilles -- the Caribbean islands that stretch from the Virgin Islands southward to the islands off Venezuela's coast.
The swells could cause beach erosion and damage coastal structures, the hurricane center said.
Omar is the 15th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and ends Nov. 30.
The tropics remain active in the Caribbean and near Central America, as Hurricane Omar and Tropical Depression 16 continue to impact parts of the area.
Hurricane Omar
Omar strengthened to a hurricane overnight, and continues moving northeast toward the northeastern Caribbean this morning. As of 5 a.m. EDT, Hurricane Omar was located 285 miles south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was moving northeast at near 7 mph.
Maximum sustained winds were near 75 mph near the center, making this a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some additional strengthening is possible as Omar continues on a northeast track through tonight.
Local governments have posted hurricane watches and warnings as well as tropical storm watches and warnings for the islands in the northeastern Caribbean, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
Conditions will begin to deteriorate in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands today, as outer bands begin to impact the area. On the current forecast track, Omar should pass just east of Puerto Rico tonight into early Thursday.
You can view Omar's current project path by clicking here.
As a result, expect squally weather to increase into tonight, with strong winds possible near and to the east of the center, along with heavy rain. Flash flooding and mudslides can also be expected, along with increased waves.
Tropical Depression 16
Tropical Depression 16 (winds of 30 mph) remains disorganized, but continues to bring locally heavy rain to parts of Central America. As of 5 a.m. EDT, the center of the depression was located 95 miles east of Limon, Honduras; it was moving west at 6 mph.
If the depression can remain over open waters, it could strengthen to a tropical storm (named Paloma). As a result, local governments have issued tropical storm watches and warnings for portions of the Nicaragua and Belize coasts.
Regardless if it is classified as a tropical storm, the primary threat to parts of Central America, through late week, will be heavy rain, flash flooding, and mudslides, especially given its slow movement.
No comments:
Post a Comment