The Tribune

MONDAY 6PM UPDATE:

ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY –

GENERAL SITUATION: THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS WILL CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE RAINBANDS FROM HURRICANE FIONA. REMNANTS OF A FRONTAL TROUGH TO THE NORTH OF THE BAHAMAS WILL PRODUCE SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS MAINLY ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHWEST BAHAMAS.

SPECIAL WARNINGS: A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WHICH INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, SAMANA CAY, LONG CAY AND RAGGED ISLAND. A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. RESIDENTS IN THESE ISLANDS SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED HURRICANE PREPARATIONS AS RAIN BANDS CONTINUE TO SPREAD OVER THE AREA. BEACHGOERS AND BOATERS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO REFRAIN FROM ENTERING THE WATERS, REMAIN IN PORT AND REMAIN INFORMED OF ALL UPDATES ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY.

MONDAY 6AM UPDATE: From the Bahamas Department of Meteorology –

HURRICANE CONDITIONS SPREADING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

HEAVY RAINFALL AND CATASTROPHIC FLOODING CONTINUES ACROSS MUCH OF PUERTO RICO.

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, SAMANA CAY, LONG CAY AND RAGGED ISLAND.

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD BE EXPERIENCED IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.

AT 5 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FIONA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.5 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 68.6 DEGREES WEST, OR ABOUT 15 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF PUNTA CANA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, OR 260 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF COCKBURN TOWN, GRAND TURK, OR 370 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA, OR ABOUT 375 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MAYAGUNA, OR ABOUT 710 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.

FIONA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST ON TUESDAY AND THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, FIONA WILL MOVE OVER THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC THIS MORNING AND EMERGE OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC THIS AFTERNOON. THE CENTER IS FORECAST TO PASS ABOUT 25MILES TO THE EAST OF COCKBURN TOWN ON TUESDAY MORNING.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 90 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS AFTER THE HURRICANE EMERGES OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC. FIONA IS FORECAST TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE BY WEDNESDAY.

HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 150 MILES FROM THE CENTER.

RESIDENTS IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD RUSH TO COMPLETE PREPARATION FOR POSSIBLE HURRICANE CONDITIONS TODAY AS WEATHER CONDITIONS OVER THE ISLANDS WILL BEGIN TO DETERIORATE TONIGHT AND HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD BE EXPERIENCED ON TUESDAY MORNING.

RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS, PARTICULARLY THOSE ON INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS AND CROOKED ISLAND, SHOULD RUSH TO COMPLETE PREPARATION FOR POSSIBLE TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ON TUESDAY. THIS COULD INCLUDE WINDY CONDITIONS WITH HEAVY RAINS AND LOCALIZED FLOODING.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND 1 TO 3 INCHES OVER THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.

BEACHGOERS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ARE TO REFRAIN FROM ENTERING THE WATERS AS LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE.

SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN IN PORT.

SUNDAY 9PM UPDATE: From the Bahamas Department of Meteorology on Hurricane Fiona:

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. INCLUDED ARE THE ISLANDS OF INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, SAMANA CAY, LONG CAY AND RAGGED ISLAND, ALONG WITH ALL THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD BE EXPERIENCED IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.

AT 8 PM EDT, THE CENTRE OF HURRICANE FIONA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.1 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 67.8 DEGREES WEST, OR ABOUT 45 MILES WEST OF MAYAGUEZ PUERTO RICO, OR 315 MILES SOUTHSOUTHEAST OF COCKBURN TOWN, GRAND TURK, OR 425 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA, OR 775 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.

FIONA HAS JOGGED WESTWARD OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS, BUT A NORTHWESTWARD MOTION NEAR 9 MPH SHOULD RESUME LATER THIS EVENING. A NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST ON TUESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF FIONA WILL MOVE NEAR THE EASTERN AND NORTHERN COASTS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TONIGHT AND MONDAY, AND NEAR OR TO THE EAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ON TUESDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 85 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES FROM THE CENTER.

HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING ON PORTIONS OF PUERTO RICO, AND ARE EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN AND NORTHERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY.

ON THE FORECAST TRACK, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT FIONA WILL PASS EAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE 3 TO 6 INCHES OVER THE ISLANDS.

RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS BEGINNING EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. THIS INCLUDES TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS, HEAVY RAINFALL, LOCALIZED FLOODING AND OVERTOPPING OF WAVES ALONG ATLANTIC EXPOSED SHORELINES.

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 REFRAIN FROM ENTERING THE WATERS AS LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE. SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN IN PORT.

FROM SATURDAY:

In anticipation of Tropical Storm Fiona gaining strength, a Hurricane Alert has been issued for the Southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, including Inagua, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Samana Cay, Long Cay and Ragged Island.

At a press conference on Saturday, Jeffrey Simmons, Acting Director for the Department of Meteorology, said the storm is expected to become at least a category one hurricane.

“Even though Fiona is still a tropical storm, a hurricane alert was issued because on its projected path, and also its forecast intensity, it’s expected that when Fiona is in the vicinity of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands it would be at least a category one hurricane at that time,” he said.

“Therefore that’s the reason why we’re asking residents in those areas to actually prepare for possible hurricane conditions which are forecast to happen sometime around Tuesday morning.”

Also speaking on Saturday, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director Captain Stephen Russell said people in Mayaguana who may need to be evacuated for medical conditions could be moved on Sunday.

“We will refine that plan of action tonight (Saturday) with a view of executing to evacuate those persons who must come out tomorrow,” he said. “Definitely before we go into the watch and warning phase.”

With regards to the possibility of wider evacuations, Captain Russell said that would occur if a storm is between category two and three strength, but based on current projections, only Mayaguana may experience tropical storm force winds.

“Once you find a system going between a category two and category three we definitely try to bring persons out of harm’s way,” he said. “Because with a category three storm you’re now talking about storm surge potential of 10 to 12 feet and we don’t want that type of water coming across our low-lying communities with vulnerable populations.

“So definitely, once you see the system heading towards a category two or three we have to kick in another evacuation plan.

“At this time based on the projections of this system here, only Mayaguana may experience some tropical storm force winds. But if the storm veers a bit more to the west and it strengthens, then you have to look a moving persons.”