The Tribune

ALERT #3 ON TROPICAL STORM FIONA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY, SATURDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER, 2022, AT 6PM EDT.

...LIFE THREATENING FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES POSSIBLE ACROSS PUERTO RICO FROM FIONA DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS…

…RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD CONTINUE PREPARATIONS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF HURRICANE CONDITIONS BEGINNING EARLY TUESDAY MORNING…

A HURRICANE ALERT IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, SAMANA CAY, LONG CAY AND RAGGED ISLAND, AND ALL THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

A HURRICANE ALERT MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD BE EXPERIENCED IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 60 HOURS.

AT 5PM EST, THE CENTRE OF TROPICAL STORM FIONA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.7 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 64.6 DEGREES WEST, OR ABOUT 115 MILES SOUTHEAST ST. CROIX, OR 535 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COCKBURN TOWN, GRAND TURK, OR 670 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA, OR 995 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.

TROPICAL STORM FIONA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 9MPH, AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT.

A NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS FORECAST TO BEGIN ON SUNDAY AND CONTINUE

THROUGH TUESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTRE OF FIONA WILL MOVE SOUTH OF THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS THIS EVENING, APPROACH PUERTO RICO TONIGHT, AND MOVE ACROSS PUERTO RICO BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

FIONA WILL THEN MOVE OFFSHORE FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ON MONDAY AND NEAR OR TO THE EAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ON TUESDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.

STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST, AND FIONA IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE BEFORE REACHING THE SOUTHERN COAST OF PUERTO RICO ON SUNDAY. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY WHILE FIONA MOVES OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC.

SWELLS GENERATED BY FIONA ARE AFFECTING THE NORTHERN COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, AND THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS. BEACHGOERS ARE TO REFRAME FROM ENTERING THE WATERS AS LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND RIP CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE. SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ARE ADVISED NOT TO VENTURE FAR FROM PORT.

FROM EARLIER:

ALERT #1 ON TROPICAL STORM FIONA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY, SATURDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER, 2022, AT NOON EDT:

…HEAVY RAINS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM FIONA ARE LIKELY TO PRODUCE FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES ACROSS PORTIONS OF PUERTO RICO…

A HURRICANE ALERT IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, SAMANA CAY, LONG CAY AND RAGGED ISLAND, AND ALL THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

A HURRICANE ALERT MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD BE EXPERIENCED IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 60 HOURS.

AT 11AM EST, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM FIONA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.3 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 63.5 DEGREES WEST, OR ABOUT 130 MILES SOUTHEAST ST. CROIX, OR 635 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COCKBURN TOWN, GRAND TURK, OR 735 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA, OR 1070 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.

TROPICAL STORM FIONA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 8 MPH. A WEST-NORTHWEST MOTION AT A SIMILAR FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN LATER TODAY, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST BY SUNDAY EVENING. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF FIONA IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NEAR OR SOUTH OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS THIS EVENING, APPROACH PUERTO RICO TONIGHT, AND PASS TO THE EAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AS A HURRICANE ON TUESDAY MORNING.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS, AND FIONA IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE BY SUNDAY NIGHT WHILE MOVING NEAR PUERTO RICO.

RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD BEGIN TO MAKE PREPARATION FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF HURRICANE CONDITIONS BEGINNING EARLY TUESDAY MORNING.

THE NEXT ALERT ON TROPICAL STORM FIONA WILLL BE ISSUED AT 3 PM EDT.