The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

WEATHER officials say a weaker cold front is expected to affect The Bahamas from Thursday through Sunday, bringing cool but far less severe conditions than the unusually cold and windy system that impacted the country last weekend.

Forecasters say the approaching front will reach the northern islands by Thursday evening and move through the remainder of the country on Friday, with temperatures remaining cool into the weekend.

“We are talking about the low 60s on Friday to mid 60s, and then by Sunday, we looking at upper 60s, low 70s,” weather officials said.

Tribune First Alert Weather cautioned that the combination of strong winds and cold air increased risks for elderly residents, children and pets, and urged the public to continue monitoring official forecasts.

The front is forecast to approach the northern region — including Grand Bahama, Abaco and Bimini — on Thursday afternoon. By early Friday morning, it should move over the north-western Bahamas, affecting Andros, New Providence, Eleuthera, Cat Island and the northern Exuma Cays. It is expected to move into the central Bahamas by Friday evening, then pass through the south-eastern Bahamas on Friday night before exiting into the Atlantic.

The system follows a powerful cold front that swept across The Bahamas last weekend, producing near-record low temperatures, gale-force winds and dangerous marine conditions. That system, which wrapped was expected to wrapup today, was driven by a strong low-pressure system that developed off the south-eastern United States coast.

During that system, wind gusts reached up to 50 knots, with Atlantic seas building as high as 20 feet and waves on the Bahama Banks reaching around 14 feet. Boaters were urged to take safe harbour, while residents were advised to avoid swimming due to rough surf and dangerous rip currents.

On land, strong winds caused unsecured objects to become airborne, while coastal communities, particularly along western and northern shorelines, experienced flooding, erosion and heavy sea spray during periods of high tide.

Behind that front, temperatures dropped sharply, with wind chill values falling to near-record lows.