Tropical Storm Warning Issued for Caymans

ABC News & The Associated Press ^ | October 15, 2005 | Jay Ehrhart

[bd476]

Tropical Storm Warning Issued for Caymans

Tropical Storm Warning Issued for Cayman Islands; Residents Begin Preparing for Worst

By JAY EHRHART

The Associated Press

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands - A tropical storm warning was issued for the Cayman Islands on Saturday and residents, many of whom had not removed the hurricane shutters from earlier storms this season, began preparing for the worst.

The system could become Tropical Storm Wilma on Sunday, which would make it the 21st named storm of the season, tying the record for the most storms in an Atlantic season, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The only other time that many storms have formed since record keeping began 154 years ago was in 1933, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president and the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression.

At 11 p.m. EDT, the tropical depression was about 215 miles southeast of Grand Cayman and about 125 miles southwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica, forecasters said. It was moving southwest at 3 mph with sustained winds near 30 mph. Depressions become tropical storms when their winds reach 39 mph.

Long term forecasts show the storm would likely move in a general westward direction for the next three days, then turn to the north, possibly as a hurricane.

A hurricane watch was issued for the Cayman Islands, meaning hurricane conditions could be felt there within 36 hours.

The depression is expected to bring 3 to 5 inches of rain over the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, with as much as 10 inches possible in some areas, forecasters said.

In the Cayman Islands, 51-year-old Susan Craig was ready.

"I still have all the supplies from the previous storms this season, basically a lot peanut M&M's, so I am ready just in case," she said.

The chairman of the Cayman Islands' National Hurricane Center, Donovan Ebanks, said authorities had been monitoring the weather for several days.

"Because of where it is, and the fact that it is projected to become a tropical storm by tomorrow and possibly a hurricane in a couple of days, we've decided to go ahead and issue a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch," he said.

In Jamaica, officials issued a flash flood warning for northwestern parts of the island. Jamaica's office of disaster preparedness said several businesses had been flooded in Montego Bay.

Hurricane season ends Nov. 30.

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

[NCjim]

Your daughter, her children, and you are in my prayers to safely weather this storm.

[oldtimer]

It's all Bush's fault - if he had signed the Kyoto treaty, we would not have to worry about these ole storms LOL.

[mysonsfuture]

Just a side note. The computer models on the weather underground have this storm as a minimal hurricane near the Yucatan peninsula (not the west coast of Florida) by the end of the week.

[NCjim]

[bd476]

Thanks. I've been following NOAA's National Hurricane Center, the advisories, discussions and experimental landfall models yet would just as soon read something more positive. :-)

[onyx]

Thank you my dear, sweet FRiend.
Let's hope this storm dissipates.

[onyx]

FOTFL! There are those who actually believe that.
They ignore the fact that 1933 was the busy year of record.

[bd476]

000
WTNT34 KNHC 170239
TCPAT4
BULLETIN
TROPICAL DEPRESSION TWENTY-FOUR ADVISORY NUMBER 6
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
11 PM EDT SUN OCT 16 2005

...Slowly moving Depression not quite a Tropical Storm...

A Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch remain in effect for
the Cayman Islands.

For storm information specific to your area...including possible
inland watches and warnings...please monitor products issued
by your local weather office.

At 11 PM EDT...0300Z...the center of Tropical Depression Twenty-four
was located near Latitude 17.6 North... Longitude 79.7 West or
about 155 miles... 245 KM... Southeast of Grand Cayman.

The Depression is moving toward the West near 2 MPH... 4 KM/HR.
This general motion is expected to continue during the next 24
hours. However... steering currents remain weak and some erratic
motion is possible during the next day or two.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 MPH... 55 KM/HR... with higher
gusts. The Depression is expected to become a Tropical Storm on
Monday. If and when it does so... it will tie the record of 21
named storms set in 1933.

Estimated minimum central pressure is 1001 MB...29.56 inches.

The Depression is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 4 to
6 inches over the Cayman Islands and Jamaica... with isolated
amounts of 8 to 12 inches possible.

Repeating the 11 PM EDT position...17.6 N... 79.7 W. Movement
toward...West near 2 MPH. Maximum sustained
winds... 35 MPH. Minimum central pressure...1001 MB.

An intermediate Advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane
Center at 2 am EDT followed by the next complete Advisory at 5 AM
EDT.

Forecaster Knabb


$$

[bd476]

It's still considered a slow moving (bad news) Tropical Depression (good news), and is expected to possibly become a Tropical Storm on Monday in the latest National Hurricane Center's Advisory.

[bd476]

[bd476]

000
WTNT34 KNHC 170557
TCPAT4
BULLETIN
TROPICAL DEPRESSION TWENTY-FOUR INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 6A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
2 AM EDT MON OCT 17 2005

...Slowly moving Depression nearing Tropical Storm strength...

A Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch remain in effect for
the Cayman Islands.

For storm information specific to your area...including possible
inland watches and warnings...please monitor products issued
by your local weather office.

At 2 AM EDT...0600Z...the Center of Tropical Depression Twenty-four
was located near Latitude 17.4 North... Longitude 79.6 West or
about 170 miles... 270 KM... Southeast of Grand Cayman.

The Depression has been meandering in the same general area the past
few hours... But a slow drift toward the West or Southwest near 2
MPH... 4 KM/HR... is expected during the next 24 hours. However...
steering currents remain weak and some erratic motion is possible
during the next day or two.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 MPH... 55 KM/HR... with higher
gusts. However... the Depression is slowly becoming better
organized... and it could become a Tropical Storm later today. If
and when it does so... it will tie the record of 21 named storms
set in 1933.

Estimated Minimum Central Pressure is 1000 MB...29.53 inches.

The Depression is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 4 to
6 inches over the Cayman Islands and Jamaica... with isolated
amounts of 8 to 12 inches possible.

Repeating the 2 AM EDT position...17.4 N... 79.6 W. Movement
drifting Southward. Maximum sustained winds... 35 mph.
Minimum Central Pressure...1000 MB.

The next Advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center
at 5 AM EDT.

Forecaster Stewart


$$

[bd476]

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Thank you..I needed him this morning!ha.