NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) – The Bahamas government has discontinued the tropical storm warning for all of the Central Bahamas and for portions of the northwestern Bahamas, as Tropical Storm Imelda, which is expected to become a hurricane on Tuesday, is expected to move across the northwestern Bahamas on Monday.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in its latest bulletin said that the storm is about 60 miles south of Great Abaco Island and that residents in Bermuda should also monitor the progress of Imelda, which is moving toward the north at a rate of eight miles per hour (mph).

Education Minister, Glenys Hanna-Martin, said that schools on Grand Bahama, Abaco, Grand Cay, Andros, New Providence, The Berry Islands, Eleuthera, Exuma and San Salvador will be closed on Monday.

She said that forecasters have advised that these islands are expected to experience heavy rainfall and localised flooding and that schools on all other islands are expected to open on Tuesday.

Hanna-Martin said the ministry will continue to monitor the weather and will provide updates if necessary.

Acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper said government offices in affected areas will be closed on Monday except for essential workers.

The NHC said that Imelda on Tuesday is expected to turn sharply to the east-northeast and that “on the forecast track, the centre of the system is expected to move across the northwestern Bahamas today and then turn east-northeastward, moving away from the southeastern United States by the middle part of this week”.

Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is forecast, and Imelda could become a hurricane on Tuesday.

The NHC said that Tropical Storm Imelda is expected to produce additional rainfall of two to four inches across eastern Cuba and four to eight inches across the northwest Bahamas through Tuesday.