NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL STORM JOSE ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION, AT NOON WEDNESDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2017

… AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTERS INDICATE THAT JOSE IS A STRONG TROPICAL STORM... DANGEROUS SURF AND RIP CURRENTS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL MORE DAYS ALONG MUCH OF THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES…

AT 11:00AM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM JOSE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 39.0° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 70.0° WEST OR ABOUT 150 MILES SOUTH OF NANTUCKET MASSACHUSETTS.

TROPICAL STORM JOSE IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 8 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION WITH A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. A SLOW WESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON THURSDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF JOSE IS EXPECTED TO PASS WELL TO THE EAST OF NEW JERSEY COAST TODAY AND PASS OFFSHORE OF SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ON THURSDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 70 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GRADUAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.

THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 6PM.

PREPARED BY DUTY FORECASTER: IAN V. MCKENZIE