NEWS ITEM ON HURRICANE OPHELIA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION AT 6PM WEDNESDAY 11TH OCTOBER 2017.

… OPHELIA BECOMES THE 10TH HURRICANE OF THE 2017 SEASON…

AT 5:00PM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE OPHELIA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 30.0° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 36.1° WEST OR ABOUT 760 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES.

HURRICANE OPHELIA IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST NEAR 3 MPH. A SLOW NORTHEAST DRIFT IS EXPECTED TONIGHT AND TOMORROW, FOLLOWED BY AN ACCELERATION TOWARD THE EAST-NORTHEAST OR NORTHEAST.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 6AM.

PREPARED BY DUTY FORECASTER: IAN V. MCKENZIE