ALERT #18 THIS IS ALERT NUMBER EIGHTEEN (#18) ON HURRICANE IRENE ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT, AT 3:00 PM, TUESDAY, 23RD AUGUST 2011.

… HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO REACH TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS VERY SOON ….

A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE BAHAMAS WHICH INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA, ABACO, BERRY ISLANDS, ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, LONG ISLAND, SAN SALVADOR, RUM CAY, CAT ISLAND, EXUMA AND ITS CAYS, INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, RAGGED ISLAND, ACKLINS AND ALL THE SURROUNDING CAYS. A HURRICANE WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN THIRTY-SIX (36) HOURS.

AT 2:00 PM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRENE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.7° DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 71.2° DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 55 MILES SOUTH (S) OF GRAND TURK, TURKS AND CAICOS, ABOUT 144 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST (ESE) OF MATTHEW TOWN, INAGUA AND ABOUT 488 MILES SOUTHEAST (SE) OF NASSAU.

IRENE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST (WNW) NEAR 10 MILES PER HOUR...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT...FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK... THE CENTRE OF IRENE WILL MOVE NEAR OR OVER THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS THIS EVENING...NEAR OR OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...NEAR OR OVER THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS ON THURSDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 100 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRENE IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS... AND IRENE COULD BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE BY WEDNESDAY.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES FROM THE CENTRE AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES.

STORM SURGE AND BATTERING WAVES WILL IMPACT THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND SPREAD INTO THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS BY NIGHT-TIME…. HEAVY DOWNPOUR WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD FLOODING IN MANY OF THE LOW LYING ISLANDS IN THE WARNING AREAS.

RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED ALL PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT THEIR PROPERTY. RESIDENTS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS SHOULD FINALISE THE NECESSARY PREPARATIONS IN ADVANCE OF IRENE.

RESIDENTS IN THE WARNING AREA WHOSE DWELLINGS ARE NOT WARRANTED SOUND, SHOULD CONTACT THEIR LOCAL ADMINISTRATORS TO FIND SUITABLE SHELTERS.

SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS, AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT. SMALL CRAFT IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS SHOULD NOT VENTURE FAR FROM PORT.