Eastern Caribbean braces for storm threat this week
Within the next two days, sections of the
eastern Caribbean may face its first major storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane
season.
Meteorologists have raised the likelihood
of the low-pressure system churning in the central Atlantic Ocean developing
into a tropical storm, at 90 per cent on Tuesday afternoon (July 21).
It is a marked increase from the 60 per
cent chance anticipated just hours ago, and if the forecast by the National Hurricane
Center (NHC) pans out, Gonzalo will be the seventh named storm of the season.
Gonzalo would also break a 15-year record
by becoming the earliest seventh-storm formation since Gert on July 24, 2005.
National — Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach)
National — Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) #Hurricane Center now gives 90% chance of named storm formation in the central tropical Atlantic in next 48 hours. If it gets named, it will be Gonzalo. Current record for earliest 7th named storm formation in the Atlantic is Gert on July 24, 2005. pic.twitter.com/iW7MDvqm0RJuly 21, 2020
“The low pressure system located over the
tropical Atlantic Ocean continues to show signs of organization. If these
trends continue, advisories could be initiated on a tropical depression later
this afternoon,” the NHC tweeted.
The low pressure system located over the tropical Atlantic Ocean continues to show signs of organization. If these trends continue, advisories could be initiated on a tropical depression later this afternoon. Click here for more info: — National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic)
The low pressure system located over the tropical Atlantic Ocean continues to show signs of organization. If these trends continue, advisories could be initiated on a tropical depression later this afternoon. Click here for more info: — National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) https://t.co/m9946DGzPQ pic.twitter.com/Ekot431zFWJuly 21, 2020
The Barbados Meteorological Service, in a
statement this morning, said it is closely monitoring the system which was
located 2,280 kilometres east-south-east of the island.
The Barbadian Met Service further indicated
that the low-pressure system slowly churns west towards the Caribbean at 16
kilometres/hour and expects its motion to continue for the next 24 hours before
making a gradual turn west-north-westerly.
