Government offices except for essential services will be closed today Wednesday July 29 as a weather system passes through the North Eastern Caribbean.
Also closed are the Social Security offices, the Port Authority, St. Patrick’s Cooperative Credit Union, FLOW, NAGICO and Caribbean Alliance.
Disaster officials here say the system is expected to pass closest to the island about 3PM today.
The following is the 5AM update from the National Weather Centre in Florida.
“A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, Dominica, Dominican Republic from Cabo Caucedo eastward to Cabo Engano and then westward along the northern coast to the Dominican Republic/Haiti border, and the North coast of Haiti from Le Mole St Nicholas eastward to the northern border with the Dominican Republic
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Dominican Republic from the southern Haiti border eastward to Cabo Caucedo, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Southeastern Bahamas
Tropical storm conditions are moving across portions of the Leeward Islands now and will spread across the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico this afternoon through Thursday morning. These conditions are forecast to reach portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti within the warning area early Thursday. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch areas on Thursday.
Interests in the central and northwestern Bahamas and Cuba should monitor the progress of this system. For storm information specific to your area in the United States, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office – www.weather.gov. For storm information specific to your area outside of the United States, please monitor products issued by your national meteorological service.
At 5 a.m. AST, Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine is located about 5 miles (10 km) south of the Dominica and about 385 miles (615 km) east-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The system is moving toward the west-northwest near 23 mph (37 km/h), and this general motion with some slight reduction in forward speed is expected over the next few days. On the forecast track, the center will move through the southern Leeward Islands during the next few hours, near or over the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico tonight, near or over Hispaniola on Thursday, and near or over the southeastern Bahamas on Friday.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 45 mph (75 km/h) with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 275 miles (445 km) from the center. Antigua recently reported a wind gust of 47 mph (76 km/h). Some increase in strength is forecast today, with weakening likely on Thursday due to land interaction, and some restrengthening possible late week.
The potential tropical cyclone is expected to produce the following rain accumulations:
– Across the northern Leeward Islands, British and U.S. Virgin Islands: 3 to 6 inches.
– Across Puerto Rico: 3 to 6 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 10 inches.
– Across the Dominican Republic, northern Haiti and the Turks and Caicos: 3 to 6 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 8 inches.
– Across the Inagua Islands: 4 to 8 inches, with isolated totals of 12 inches.
These rainfall amounts could lead to life threatening flash flooding and mudslides, as well as potential riverine flooding.
The next complete advisory will be issued by NHC at 11 a.m. AST with an intermediate advisory at 8 a.m. AST – www.hurricanes.gov
