Special Weather Statement
Issued at 6AM Tuesday 12th December, 2023
Near gale-to-gale force winds expected across the entire Northwest Bahamas for the remainder of the week and into the weekend…
Periods of moderate to heavy rainfall expected across the entire Northwest and Central Bahamas Wednesday through Sunday…
A Gale (34 – 40kt) Watch is now in effect for the entire Northwest Bahamas.
…Small craft operators and mariners are strongly advised to remain in port while beachgoers and swimmers are strongly urged to remain onshore…
The combination of an expansive and building high pressure system across the Southeast United States and a stalled frontal boundary across the Central Bahamas will maintain a very tight pressure gradient across the islands for the next several days. As a result, sustained strong breeze (22 – 27kt) to near gale winds (28 -33kt) with frequent gusts to gale and possibly strong gale (41 – 47kt) is expected across the Extreme Northern and Northwest Bahamas for the remainder of the week and into the weekend.
Perilous waves, dangerous surf, and life-threatening rip currents will prevail in coastal and offshore waters. For this reason,mariners, small craft operators and beachgoers should remain safely in port and onshore. Moreover, onshore flow, overtopping waters and sea spray combined with higher-than-normal tides will result in minor coastal flooding as well as beach erosion. Therefore, motorists and pedestrians traversing coastal roads are urged to exercise extreme caution. Residents in these areas are advised to safeguard all loose furnishings that may become airborne due to strong winds.
The previously mentioned frontal boundary will become quasi-stationary over the Central and Northwest Bahamas from midweek through to the weekend, while an area of low pressure is expected to develop in the central Gulf of Mexico and move north-eastward. These two systems will work in tandem to produce periods of widespread moderate to occasionally heavy rainfall for the latter half of the workweek and through the weekend. Localized flooding is anticipated in low-lying and flood prone areas; therefore, residents are advised to plan accordingly.
The Bahamas Department of Meteorology will continue to monitor these systems and provide an update when warranted.
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