Alert #5 on potential Tropical Cyclone Six Issued By The Bahamas Department Of Meteorology, Tuesday 10th August, 2021, at 6 AM EDT.
The disturbance now in the Northeastern Caribbean Sea and is likely to become a Tropical Storm today and could begin to affect the Southeast Bahamas and the Turks And Caicos Islands by Thursday morning.
A Tropical Watch is now in effect for the islands of the Southeast Bahamas. This includes the islands of Inagua, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Samana Cay, Long Cay and Ragged Island, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
A Tropical Storm Watch means that Tropical Storm conditions could be experienced in the mentioned islands within 48 hours.
At 5 AM EDT, the center of the disturbance was located near latitude 15.7 degrees north and longitude 62.2 degrees west, or about 65 miles southwest of Guadeloupe, or 835 miles Southeast Of Matthew Town Inagua, or 705 miles Southeast of Grand Turk, and 1180 miles Southeast of New Providence.
The system is moving toward the west-northwest near 17 MPH and this general motion is expected to continue during the next few days. On the forecast track, the system is expected to pass near or over the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico late today and tonight, be near or over Hispaniola on Wednesday, and begin to affect the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeast Bahamas by Thursday morning.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 35 MPH with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is forecast during the next day or so and the disturbance is expected to become a tropical storm later this morning. Some weakening is likely while the system interacts with Hispaniola on Wednesday.
Residents in the Southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands should begin to make preparation for the possibility of Tropical Storm conditions beginning early Thursday morning. Residents in low-lying areas should also prepare for heavy rainfall of up to 4 inches.
Issued by: Jeffrey Simmons