Wind Advisory Issued as Tropical Wave Nears
BASSETERRE — The St. Kitts Meteorological Services issued a wind advisory on Friday as a tropical wave approaches the islands, warning of gusts up to 40 mph and hazardous seas that are expected to persist into Saturday evening.
In a bulletin issued at 5 p.m. Friday, the Met Office, based at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, said winds would blow from the east-northeast at 18 to 30 mph, with higher gusts possible up to 40 mph, through 8 p.m. Saturday. The advisory requires residents to secure and reinforce loose objects against the windy and gusty conditions.
Seas are forecast to run 8 to 12 feet and were described as hazardous, with the Met Office advising mariners to remain in port for the next 24 hours.
The advisory comes as a tropical wave moves toward St. Kitts and Nevis, increasing the chances of cloudiness and showers across the islands over the next day. The Met Office said the system could bring between 13 and 26 millimeters, or half an inch to an inch, of rain over the forecast period.
Forecasters said conditions would be fair to partly cloudy Friday night, with a 40 percent, or moderate, chance of showers. Saturday is expected to be cloudy with showers and a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms.
As of 5 p.m. Friday, the Met Office reported partly cloudy skies with dust haze and light showers, a temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, or 83 degrees Fahrenheit, and humidity at 83 percent. The heat index was measured at 34 degrees Celsius, or about 93 degrees Fahrenheit. No rainfall had been recorded at the airport in the 24 hours leading up to 2 p.m., though the island has received 37.7 millimeters, or 1.48 inches, of rain so far this month.
The advisory follows several days of forecasts tracking tropical activity in the wider Atlantic, though officials have said no tropical storm watch or warning is currently in effect for St. Kitts and Nevis. Residents are urged to monitor updates from the Met Office and NEMA as the wave moves through the region this weekend.
