TRACKING ERIKA….5AM REPORT
TROPICAL STORM ERIKA WARNING STATEMENT
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES
5:21 AM ECT WED, AUG 26, 2015
THIS IS FOR ST KITTS AND NEVIS
TROPICAL STORM ERIKA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. NEW TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ISSUED FOR THE LEEWARD ISLANDS AND BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.
AT 500 AM AST (0900 UTC), THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ERIKA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.1 NORTH, LONGITUDE 56.0 WEST OR ABOUT 432 MILES EAST OF ST. KITTS AND NEVIS.
ERIKA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 18 MPH (30 KM/H), AND A WEST TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION AT A SLIGHTLY SLOWER FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF ERIKA WILL MOVE NEAR OR OVER PORTIONS OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS TONIGHT AND MOVE NEAR THE VIRGIN ISLANDS ON THURSDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MPH (65 KM/H) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME SLOW STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES (165 KM) FROM THE CENTER.
THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE BASED ON DATA FROM A NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IS 1003 MB (29.62 INCHES).
BASED UPON THE LATEST POSITION AND FORECAST TRACK, TROPICAL STORM ERIKA IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT ST. KITTS AND NEVIS LATE WEDNESDAY AND EARLY THURSDAY. SKIES TODAY WILL BE PARTLY CLOUDY, BECOMING INCREASINGLY CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS, MODERATE TO HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BY TONIGHT. THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE FLASH FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BE POSTED LATER.
RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THE PASSAGE OF ERIKA.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS UP TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
SEAS ARE ROUGH AND SMALL CRAFT WARNINGS FOR MARINERS AND SEA BATHERS REMAIN IN EFFECT. SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS SHOULD STAY IN PORT AS SEAS COULD PEAK NEAR 10 FEET WITH THE PASSAGE OF ERIKA.
RESIDENTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF TROPICAL STORM ERIKA.
REPEATING THE 5AM POSITION…16.1N 56.0W, MOVEMENT TOWARDS W NEAR 18 MILES PER HOUR, MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…40 MPH, MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…1003 MB…29.62 INCHES
AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY ON THIS SYSTEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 8:30 AM TODAY WEDNESDAY.