The Tribune

By LETRE SWEETING

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

WEATHER officials are urging Bahamians in the northwest and central Bahamas to brace for strong winds and heavy rain this week from an approaching thunderstorm.

Yesterday, the Bahamas Meteorology Department issued a severe thunderstorm weather warning for the islands of Abaco, Grand Bahama, Bimini, and North and Central Andros.

The statement told residents of those islands to brace for thunderstorms with strong winds, lightning, and heavy downpours.

Residents should stay indoors and avoid windows as conditions worsen, said the statement.

Patricia Weeks, a weather forecaster from the Department of Meteorology, yesterday told The Tribune that the weather that passed through New Providence on Saturday night will continue passing toward the north and central Bahamas.

“That same frontal boundary that came down across us with a lot of water. Those showers and thunderstorms are still looming across that area and will continue through to tonight and tomorrow (Monday),” Ms Weeks said.

“It’s expected to lift as a warm front, because it’s so close to our more northern islands, we’re going to just keep wet for a little while,” she said.

“We are always here monitoring 24 hours to keep residents and mariners alert as to if at any point in time anything intensifies or seems to threatening life or property, then we would issue a severe weather warning, based on other parameters as well,” Ms Weeks said.

“We do expect showers to continue especially across the extreme northwest Bahamas tonight into tomorrow as well. That front boundary that is across the northwest and central Bahamas, it’s supposed to lift north as a warm front,” she said.

“Then when it gets near Grand Bahama area, north of Abaco, it just may meet up with a low pressure that’s just to the north of us and then create some unstable weather conditions for those islands mainly,” Ms Weeks said.

Last month, several cold fronts passed through The Bahamas bringing temperatures as low as 13 degrees (Celsius) or 55 degrees (Fahrenheit).

At the time, weather officials urged Bahamians to keep their blankets and warm clothes handy.