Extremely dangerous hurricane Lee maximum sustained winds have increased to near 165 mph
By SLUMET
Forecaster: Lemuel O’Shaughnessy
Present weather at Hewanorra Airport is fair.
Present temperature at Hewanorra Airport is 26°C or 79°F.
Last night’s minimum temperature at Hewanorra Airport was 26°C or 79°F.
Wind at Hewanorra Airport is calm.
Rainfall in the 24-hour period that ended at 2:00 am today:
At Hewanorra Airport: 8.0 mm
Total rainfall for the month of September so far:
At Hewanorra Airport: 20.0 mm.
Sunset today: 6:10 pm. Sunrise tomorrow: 5:52 am.
FORECAST FOR SAINT LUCIA VALID FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS
Winds will be blowing from between the north and south near 6 mph or 9 km/h, becoming lighter and variable or calm at times.
Weather: Fair to occasionally cloudy skies with some scattered showers and a chance of isolated thunderstorms.
MARINE FORECAST FOR SEAS IN A 25 MILE OR 40 KM RADIUS FROM SAINT LUCIA
Tides for Castries Harbour: High at 12:42 pm…Low at 3:55 pm.
Tides for Vieux Fort Bay: Low at 6:56 am… High at 1:49 pm.
Seas: Slight to moderate with waves 3 to 5 feet or 0.9 to 1.5 metres today and
moderate to locally rough with waves and swells 5 to 7 feet or 1.5 to 2.1 metres tonight, mainly on the northern and eastern coast.
Small craft operators are advised to exercise caution from tonight, due to above normal seas swells.
FORECAST FOR THE LESSER ANTILLES
Partly cloudy to cloudy skies, with scattered light to moderate showers and a chance of isolated thunderstorms over the northern Windward and Leeward Islands. Elsewhere, fair to occasionally cloudy skies with a few showers.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
Light and variable winds will continue across the Lesser Antilles over the next few days. Moisture and instability associated with Hurricane Lee will cause some cloudy periods with scattered showers and possibly isolated thunderstorms over the northern half of the region during the next 24 hours.
…Lee is now a category 5 hurricane…
At 5:00 am today, the eye of Hurricane Lee was located near latitude 17.8 North, longitude 53.5 West or about 630 miles or 1015 kilometres east of the northern Leeward Islands. Lee is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph or 22 km/h, and this motion is expected to continue for the next several days with a gradual slowing down in its forward speed.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 165 mph or 270 km/h, with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is expected today and Lee is forecast to remain a powerful hurricane well into next week. Swells generated by Lee are expected to reach portions of the Lesser Antilles today. Interests in the northern Leeward Islands should continue to monitor the progress of Lee.
…Tropical Storm Margot expected to strengthen…
At 5:00 am today, the centre of Tropical Storm Margot was located near latitude 17.4 North, longitude 30.8 West. Margot is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph or 26 km/h, and this motion is expected to continue over the next few days.
Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph or 65 km/h, with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is expected during the next few days, and Margot is expected to become a hurricane over the weekend. Margot is expected to remain over the ocean and poses no threat to our region.
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected over the tropical Atlantic during the next seven days.
