ALERT #17 ON TROPICAL STORM ERIKA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY AT 9PM EDT, FRIDAY, 28TH AUGUST, 2015.
… ERIKA IS DUMPING HEAVY RAINS ACROSS HISPANIOLA … BUT THERE IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT ERIKA COULD EVEN DEGENERATE INTO A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WHILE IT IS MOVING OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN OF HISPANIOLA AND EASTERN CUBA.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS, WHICH INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, THE EXUMAS, SAN SALVADOR, RUM CAY, INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, LONG CAY, RAGGED ISLAND AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS CAN POSSIBLY BE EXPERIENCED IN THOSE ISLANDS WITHIN THE NEXT 36 HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS WHICH INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, BIMINI, THE BERRY ISLANDS, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO.
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS CAN POSSIBLY BE EXPERIENCED IN THOSE ISLANDS WITHIN THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
AT 8:00 PM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ERIKA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.3 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 72.0 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PORT AU PRINCE HAITI, 196 MILES SOUTH OF GRAND TURK, 210 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GREAT INAGUA, 338 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF DEADMAN’S CAY, LONG ISLAND AND 510 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.
ERIKA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 21 MILES PER HOUR. A TURN TOWARDS THE WEST-NORTHWEST OR NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED TONIGHT,AND TOMORROW WITH A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED THROUGH SUNDAY. ON THIS FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF ERIKA WILL MOVE OVER WESTERN HAITI AND THE GULF OF GONAVE EARLY SATURDAY, AND WILL BE NEAR THE EXTREME EASTERN CUBA OR THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS ON SATURDAY NIGHT.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NOW 45 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ERIKA IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON SATURDAY, BUT THERE IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT ERIKA COULD DEGENERATE INTO A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WHIE IT IS MOVING OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN OF HISPANIOLA AND EASTERN CUBA.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER.
ERIKA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES WITH MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 10 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS THROUGH SATURDAY. THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE MODERATE TO SEVERE FLOODING THROUGHOUT THESE ISLANDS, PARTICULARLY LOW-LYING AREAS.
RESIDENTS IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WHICH INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, THE EXUMAS, SAN SALVADOR RUM CAY, INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, LONG CAY AND RAGGED ISLAND SHOULD MAKE FINAL PREPARARTIONS TO SECURE THEIR PROPERTIES FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD ACROSS THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS LATER TONIGHT, AND THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS ON SATURDAY. RESIDENTS IN NORTHWEST BAHAMAS WHICH INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, BIMINI, THE BERRY ISLANDS, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO, SHOULD BEGIN TO SECURE THEIR PROPERTIES FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS BY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT IF ERIKA SURVIVES WHILE CROSSING OVER HISPANIOLA TONIGHT.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE WARNING AREA SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT, WHILE SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE WATCH AND ALERT AREAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF ERIKA.
