The Bahamas could feel impacts of Tropical Storm Dorian by Thursday afternoon, NEMA says
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As Tropical Storm Dorian neared Barbados yesterday with increased maximum sustained winds, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warned Bahamian mariners and fishermen that based on the storm’s projected path, The Bahamas could begin to feel the impacts of the system as early as Thursday afternoon.
NEMA said it was closely monitoring the projected path of the storm — the fifth named storm of the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
“Your vessel can likely be impacted by winds, waves or storm surges,” NEMA Director Captain Stephen Russell said.
“You will need some lead time to prepare before a storm impacts our area.”
NEMA urged all mariners, sailors, operators of mail boats and other freight vessels and pleasure craft to finalize plans to secure their vessels and associated equipment.
NEMA also encouraged all residents to prepare their homes and businesses in the event the country is threatened by the weather system.
As of 8 p.m. yesterday, Dorian was 30 miles east, south east of Barbados and approximately 140 miles east, southeast of St. Lucia.
The storm has maximum sustained winds of around 60 miles per hours, 10 miles per hour faster than the system was on Sunday.
It was travelling west, northwest at 14 miles per hour.
The storm is project to turn northwest on Wednesday.
On its forecast track, the center of the storm is expected to move near or over the Windward Islands yesterday evening and move into the eastern Caribbean Sea today.
It is projected to pass near or south of Puerto Rico tomorrow and approach eastern Hispaniola tomorrow night.
As of yesterday, a hurricane watch was in effect for St. Lucia.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for Barbados, Martinique and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for Grenada, Saba and St. Eustatius and Puerto Rico.
The storm is expected to product three to eight inches of rain the Windward Island from Martinique south to St. Vincent including Barbados.
Increased activity
While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration originally predicted nine to 15 named storms and two to four major hurricanes this year, the NOAA revised the projection to 10 to 17 named storms, of which five to nine are expected to become hurricanes.
Two to four of those systems could become major hurricanes, according to NOAA.
