Tropical storm warnings issued for Caribbean as depression moves west

A hurricane hunter aircraft is expected to investigate tropical depression 9 later today.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Tuesday August 21, 2012 -  Tropical Depression nine continunes to become better organised prompting Caribbean governments to issue tropical storm warnings.

The 11 am AST National Hurricane Center advisory indicated that the depression was located at 15.1 N 52.8 W or about 580 miles east of Guadeloupe and is moving west at 20 miles per hour”.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Martin, St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, Anguilla and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius and st. Maarten according to the latest NHC advisory.

The 11 am AST NHC report said “on the forecast track the cyclone should move through the central Lesser Antilles Wednesday afternoon or evening and emerge over the eastern Caribbean Sea by Thursday morning”.

“Maximum sustained winds are near 35 miles per hour with higher gusts and some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours” the National Hurricane Center report said.

According to the 11 am advisory “the depression is expected to become a tropical storm later today.”

According to Philip J. Klotzbach and William M. Gray of the Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane season is expected to see about 13 named storms, including 5 hurricanes, with two of them being major. Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)