NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL STORM ZETA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION AT 12 PM, THURSDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2020.

...ZETA STILL PRODUCING STRONG INLAND WINDS…

AT 11 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ZETA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 36.5° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 81.5° WEST,OR ABOUT 100 MILES NORTHEAST OF ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

ZETA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 48 MPH. AN EVEN FASTER NORTHEASTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY, FOLLOWED BY A RAPID EAST-NORTHEASTWARD MOTION TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF ZETA WILL MOVE ACROSS THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES THIS AFTERNOON, AND EMERGE OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC BY TONIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ZETA IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A NON-TROPICAL GALE-FORCE LOW LATER TODAY. THE LOW SHOULD BECOME ABSORBED BY A FRONTAL SYSTEM OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC BY FRIDAY NIGHT.

THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 6 PM.

PREPARED BY DUTY FORECASTER: C. WATSON-RAHMING