BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – New watches and warnings have been issued for sections of the Leeward Islands due to the presence of Tropical Storm Tammy.
According to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm conditions and heavy rain are possible starting Friday.
So far, Tropical Storm watches have been issued for Anguilla and St. Barthelemy, St. Maarten, St. Martin and Guadeloupe, Barbados< Dominica, Martinique, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, Saba, and St. Eustatius, however, additional watches and warnings will likely be required by the end of the day on Thursday.
The National Hurricane Centre on Thursday afternoon said the center of Tropical Storm Tammy was located near latitude 13.6 North, longitude 55.7 West.
Tammy is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h). A slower west-northwest motion is expected through Thursday night, and a turn toward the northwest is forecast on Friday. And this motion should continue into the weekend.
On the forecast track, the center of Tammy will move near or over the Leeward Islands on Friday and Saturday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts. At the same time, gradual strengthening is expected during the next few days, and Tammy is forecast to be at or near hurricane intensity when it moves near the Leeward Islands.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles (205 km) from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1003 mb (29.62 inches).