Go-Jamaica Weather Watch

The Meteorological Service has extended the Flash Flood Warning for low-lying and flood prone areas of all parishes until 5.00 p.m. tomorrow.

 A Flash Flood Warning means flooding has been reported or will occur shortly. Motorists and pedestrians should not attempt to cross flooded roadways or other low-lying areas as strong currents are likely.

Residents in low-lying areas should be on the alert for rising waters and be ready to move quickly to higher ground.

Although Tropical Storm Nicole has dissipated there is a broad area of low pressure that extends from the Bahamas, across Cuba, Jamaica and sections of the western Caribbean.

Radar reports and data collected from weather stations across the island indicate that throughout the day scattered light to moderate showers and thunderstorms, which were heavy at times, affected most parishes.

The broad area of low pressure will continue to influence weather conditions across the island for the next 48 to 72 hours. The forecast is for continued showers and thunderstorms to affect Jamaica for at least the next two days.

Due to the gusty winds and above normal wave heights north and south of the island, fishers and other marine interests are being advised not to venture far from port.

The Meteorological Service will continue to monitor the progress of this system.

The Meteorological Service has upgraded the Flash Flood Watch to a Flash Flood Warning for low-lying and flood prone areas of all parishes, effective until 5.00 p.m. tomorrow.

A Flash Flood Warning means flooding has been reported or will occur shortly. Motorists and pedestrians should not attempt to cross flooded roadways or other low-lying areas as strong currents are likely.

Residents in low-lying areas should be on the alert for rising waters and be ready to move quickly to higher ground. A broad area of Low Pressure has been producing widespread showers and thunderstorms over the northwestern Caribbean, including Jamaica .

Radar confirms that this has been occurring across the island, especially over sections of southern and northeastern parishes, throughout last night and this morning.

The forecast is for the showers and thunderstorms to continue into the night, through Tuesday and into Wednesday as this disorganised area of Low Pressure drifts northward while close to Jamaica. Some flash flooding is expected to occur as of this afternoon.

There is also a chance of this system developing into a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours as conditions become favorable for gradual development.

Fishers and other marine interests are being advised to exercise caution as strong, gusty winds are likely in areas of showers and thunderstorms mainly over inshore and offshore areas south and west of the island.

The Meteorological Service will continue to monitor the progress of this system.

The Meteorological Service has downgraded the Flash Flood Warning to a Flash Flood Watch for all parishes effective until 5.00 p.m. today.

A Flash Flood Watch means flooding is possible and citizens are advised to take precautionary measures, keep informed by listening to further News Releases from the Meteorological Service and be ready for quick action if flooding is observed or if a warning is issued.

An Area of Low Pressure is currently generating unstable weather over most of the Central Caribbean. The disturbance is expected to continue moving westward and will influence the weather over Jamaica.

Satellite Imagery indicates a large area of showers with embedded thunderstorms across the central Caribbean. However, the RADAR imagery shows light to moderate showers and isolated thunderstorms offshore the north and south coasts of Jamaica.

The forecast is for cloudy conditions this morning with outbreaks of showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon across sections of most parishes. As a result, a Flash Flood Watch is now in effect for all parishes.

This area of disturbed weather has the potential to develop into a Tropical Cyclone, consequently fishers and other marine interests are advised not to venture far from port as above normal seas and strong gusty winds are likely particularly over southern waters.

The Meteorological Service will continue to monitor the progress of this system
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 At 4.00 a.m. the centre of Tropical Storm Lisa was located near latitude 17.7 degrees north, longitude 31.8 degrees west, or about 850 kilometres west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands.

Lisa is moving toward the north near 7 km/h and this general motion is expected to continue during the next 24 hours. A turn toward the north-northwest with a slight decrease in forward speed is forecast on Wednesday, followed by a turn toward the west-northwest on Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 65 km/h, with higher gusts. Some additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days.

Bermuda is now recovering after the country was Bermuda is now recovering after the country was battered by Hurricane Igor yesterday.

The heavy rain and winds are said to have damaged power lines and uprooted trees in the popular tourist destination and wealthy global insurance centre.

Residents have also reported flying debris, widespread power outages and some flooding.

However, there were no immediate reports of casualties.

One man reported that although the island did not get a direct hit, Igor proved a frightening experience.

HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – A weakening Hurricane Igor is expected to continue moving away from Bermuda on Monday and should begin affecting New Foundland by Tuesday, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC).

It said that Igor, which now has maximum winds of 75 miles per hour, was located 135 miles north of Bermuda.

The Bermuda Weather Service (BWS) has already downgraded its hurricane warning to a Tropical Storm warning as the winds caused some destruction on the tiny British Overseas Territory.

Weather officials said that the hurricane battered the island with winds in excess of 90 mph just before midnight but there were no immediate reports of death or injury.

The streets of the capital were covered in several inches of water and littered with tree branches and other debris and the BWS reported that roughly 19,500 customers had lost electricity by Sunday evening.

The authorities had urged citizens to remain indoors and await the passage of the storm. The officials said schools would remain close on Monday and Tuesday, and one local newspaper has cancelled its Monday edition.

The LF Wade International Airport cancelled all flights to and from the island and said it would remain closed until Tuesday morning.

A British Royal Navy ship and helicopter have been stationed offshore to assist in case of widespread damage, and authorities mobilised the island’s part-time army – the Bermuda Regiment – placing 200 soldiers on standby.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre has issued a Tropical Storm watch for the cost of New Foundland from Stones Cave eastward and northward to Jones Harbour.

The MHC said that Igor, which at one stage had reached a Category Four status, was moving towards the north-northeast near 20 miles per hour (mph) and an increase in forward speed is expected in the next 24 to 36 hours.

“On the forecast track, Igor will continue moving away from Bermuda and pass offshore of the southeastern tip of New Foundland on Tuesday”.

It said that little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours and “Igor is expected to become a strong extra tropical cyclone in the next day or two”.

The NHC said that the significant rainfall associated with the storm has ended but that storm surges will lead to coastal flooding. “The surges will be accompanied by large and destructive waves especially along the southern coast,” the NHC added.

Hurricane Karl made landfall on the Mexican coast ten miles north of Veracruz at 1 p.m. today as a Category three hurricane with 115 mph winds.

As of 4 p.m. today, Karl had sustained winds of 90 mph, making it a Category 1 storm.

However, it was still strong enough to pack a punch. According to CNN, 3,000 families have so far reported damage to their homes, and that number is expected to go up sharply.

In Veracruz, waves as high as 16 feet slammed into the coast as the storm hit. Widespread tree damage, downed power lines and traffic signals, and widespread flooding have been reported.
 
Karl has already forced Mexico’s Pemex oil to halt production at 14 offshore wells and evacuate staff.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Igor now in the east has weakened slightly, but remains a major storm.

The US-based hurricane centre has warned that Igor, which is pushing sustained speeds of 125 miles per hour is threatening to pass directly over Bermuda on Sunday.

Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and The Bahamas are also likely to feel the effects of storm swells with the US East Coast expected to be affected by the weekend.

HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – Bermuda residents braced themselves for a possible direct hit at the weekend from powerful Hurricane Igor which authorities have likened to a storm seven years ago that killed four people.

Even though Igor is more than 800 miles away, a small craft warning was issued in Bermuda on Thursday morning, with southeasterly swells building and seas increasing inside the reef two to three feet.

Government has said Bermuda has not seen a hurricane as severe as Igor since Hurricane Fabian, while NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has called it “a monstrous storm” and the Bermuda Weather Service has said people should prepare for a “virtual direct hit”. On September 4, 2003 Fabian hit Bermuda directly, sweeping four people to their deaths as they tried to cross the Causeway, a low-lying bridge linking the east end, including the international airport, to the rest of the island, and causing millions of dollars worth of damage.

 A number of hotels were forced to close for several months.

 At 6 a.m. local time, Igor was 830 nautical miles southeast of Bermuda and was classified as a Category 4 storm, packing sustained winds of 145 miles per hour. It was moving west-northwest at six knots.

Although the hurricane is expected to weaken slightly before it reaches the Bermuda area over the weekend, it is still projected to be a Category 2 storm packing winds of 110 mph. Virtually all projections have the hurricane passing close to or over Bermuda.

The island’s Emergency Measures Organisation met on Wednesday and urged residents to prepare for a serious hit. A spokeswoman said: “The island can expect tropical storm force winds sometime around midnight Saturday and even worse conditions late Sunday around midnight when the current forecast is for a direct hit.

 “Residents are advised to take the warnings seriously as the island has not experienced such an intense storm since Hurricane Fabian hit Bermuda in 2003.” Bermuda Weather Service meteorologist Ken Smith said Bermuda should be prepared for a “virtually a direct hit”, although he added that there was no way to predict if the eye of the storm would pass over the Island at the moment.

Home Affairs Minister David Burch told residents: “You should be getting prepared now,  if you wait until Saturday evening, it will be too late.” Premier Ewart Brown has cancelled a planned trip to the United States to sign an agreement between government and Howard University for psychiatric services on the island. “Our government is monitoring Hurricane Igor closely and intends to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our people,” he said.

 A Flash Flood Watch means flooding is possible and citizens are advised to take precautionary measures, keep informed by listening to further News Releases from the Meteorological Service and be ready for quick action if flooding is observed or if a warning is issued.

The Area of Low Pressure now located over the western Caribbean Sea developed into Tropical Storm Karl this afternoon and continues to influence weather conditions over Jamaica while moving away.

At 4.00 p.m. the centre of Tropical Storm Karl was located near latitude 18.3 degrees North, longitude 84.2 degrees West, or about 435 kilometres east of Chetumal, Mexico.

Karl is moving toward the west-northwest near 24 km/h. This general motion is expected to continue with some decrease in forward speed during the next couple of days.

Maximum sustained winds are near 65 km/h, with higher gusts. Some strengthening is expected before the centre of Karl reaches the Yucatan Peninsula.

Radar reports indicate that Jamaica experienced a reduction in rainfall associated with Karl today, with widely scattered light to moderate showers and thunderstorms affecting mainly central and western parishes.

While the tropical storm has been moving slowly westward, unstable conditions are expected to persist tonight and tomorrow with showers and thunderstorms continuing mainly over western parishes. Flash flooding is, therefore, still possible in vulnerable areas.

Fishers and other marine interests are being advised to exercise caution as strong, gusty winds are likely in areas of showers and thunderstorms over northern and southern coastal areas.

 The Meteorological Service has extended the Flash Flood Watch for low-lying and flood-prone areas of western parishes until 5.00 p.m. today.
 
A Flash Flood Watch means flooding is possible and citizens are advised to take precautionary measures, and be ready for quick action if flooding is observed or if a warning is issued.
 
The broad area of Low Pressure has now moved into the western Caribbean, however Jamaica continued to be influenced by the disorganised area of showers and thunderstorm.

Radar reports indicated a reduction in rainfall with widely scattered light to moderate showers and thunderstorms affecting mainly western parishes.

As the Low pressure moves slowly westward, unstable conditions is expected to persist for another 12 to 24 hours and showers and thunderstorms will continue over most parishes, especially western areas today.
 
Although the Low Pressure system remains disorganized, gradual development is possible and a tropical cyclone could form during the next 48 hours as the system moves over the Yucatan Peninsula by Wednesday.
 
Fishers and other marine interests are being advised to exercise caution as strong, gusty winds are likely in areas of showers and thunderstorms over northern and southern coastal areas.