Dolly Weakens to Open Wave, Rain Threat Persists
BASSETERRE — Tropical Storm Dolly weakened into an open tropical wave Friday morning, but forecasters say the system’s remnants are still expected to bring heavy rain to the Leeward Islands, including St. Kitts and Nevis, starting late Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. advisory.
As of 11 a.m. Friday, the remnants of Dolly were located about 1,000 miles east of the Leeward Islands, moving west near 25 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. The system is expected to maintain that fast westward pace over the next couple of days, bringing the remnants near the Leeward Islands Saturday night into Sunday.
The NHC said winds associated with the system are expected to drop below tropical-storm force by Saturday, and no coastal watches or warnings are currently in effect. Even so, forecasters are urging residents across the Leeward Islands to continue monitoring the remnants’ progress.
Despite the weakening, the moisture from the system is still forecast to produce heavy rainfall. The NHC said the Leeward Islands could see heavy rain late Saturday into Sunday, with the wet weather then moving into the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola on Sunday and Monday. Forecasters warned the rain could trigger flash flooding in areas of higher terrain across the Leeward Islands.
Tropical-storm-force winds still extend up to 115 miles from the center of the remnants, and the system’s minimum central pressure was measured at 1008 millibars.
Locally, the St. Kitts Meteorological Services said Friday’s weather bulletin, issued at 7 a.m., recorded cloudy skies with a temperature of 28°C (83°F), 80 percent humidity and a moderate easterly breeze of 12 mph. Sea level pressure was measured at 1015.3 millibars.
The local forecast valid through 8 a.m. Saturday calls for winds becoming east-northeasterly overnight, reaching 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 28 mph in showers. Seas are expected to run 1.2 to 1.8 meters, or 4 to 6 feet, and small craft operators and beach goers were advised to exercise caution.
St. Kitts and Nevis can expect partly cloudy to cloudy skies today and tonight, with showers and a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms, according to the bulletin. More broadly, the Meteorological Services said an approaching tropical wave will bring a high chance of showers across the Eastern Caribbean, with greater instability possibly triggering a moderate chance of thunderstorms in the Windward Islands south to Trinidad and Tobago. Gusty conditions are possible during showers, and open waters may become choppy at times.
