UPDATE: Tropical Storm Sandy forms

Fishers and other marine interests are being advised to immediately evacuate the cays and banks and start returning to the mainland as Tropical Storm Sandy strengthens.

At the same time, other small craft operators are being advised not to venture out.

At 4:00 p.m. the centre of Tropical Storm Sandy was located near Latitude 12.5 degrees North, Longitude 78.5 degrees West, or about 640 kilometres (395 miles) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica or 490 kilometres (300 miles) south of the Pedro Cays.

The Met Service says Tropical Storm Sandy has remained nearly stationary over the past few hours but a motion towards the north and north-northeast is expected during the next couple of days.

On this forecast track, the centre of the tropical storm will begin to move across Jamaica, from south to north, near midday on Wednesday.

Maximum sustained winds are now near 65 km/h (40 mph), with higher gusts, and additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.

Sandy could, therefore, be near hurricane strength when near Jamaica.

Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 110 kilometres (70 miles), primarily east of the centre.

Over the next couple of days, showers and thunderstorms are expected to increase significantly over Jamaica, along with strong, gusty winds.

Flash flooding is, therefore, likely between Tuesday evening and Thursday.

As the tropical storm moves closer to the island, southeasterly winds will gradually be sustained at tropical storm strength on Wednesday morning and storm surge of near 2 metres (6-7 feet) is possible along the southern coastline from Clarendon to St Thomas.

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editorial@gleanerjm.com