BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — St Lucia has been put on a hurricane watch as Tropical Storm Dorian inched closer to the island on Monday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has said.

St Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet is to chair a meeting of the National Emergency Management Advisory Committee (NEMAC) shortly and will make a statement on national preparations after receiving a briefing from local officials including representatives of the Met Office and the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO).

The NHC in its 11:00 am bulletin said that Dorian has strengthened as it moves toward the Lesser Antilles and that hurricane conditions are possible in portions of the northern Windward Islands.

The storm is located 135 miles, east south east of Barbados, 245 miles, east south east of St Lucia with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (mph).

The St Lucia government has since issued a hurricane watch for the island while “the government of France has upgraded the tropical storm watch to a tropical storm warning for Martinique.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines, while a tropical storm watch is remains in effect for Dominica, Grenada and its dependencies, Saba and St Eustatius

The NHC said that at 11.00 am local time “the centre of Tropical Storm Dorian was located near latitude 12.3 North, longitude 57.7 West. Dorian is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph and this motion is expected to continue through Tuesday night, followed by a turn toward the northwest on Wednesday”.

The NHC noted that on the forecast track, the centre of Dorian is expected to be near the Windward Islands “late today and tonight, and move into the eastern Caribbean Sea on Tuesday.

“Dorian is expected to pass near or south of Puerto Rico on Wednesday and approach eastern Hispaniola Wednesday night,” the NHC said, adding that maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph with higher gusts.

“Some strengthening is forecast during the next few days, and Dorian could be near hurricane strength when it passes through the northern Windward Islands on Tuesday, and is expected to be a hurricane when it moves near Puerto Rico and eastern Hispaniola.”

The NHC said that swells generated by Dorian will be affecting portions of the Lesser Antilles by late Monday, adding these swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.