Weather
TD #9 gets a name; Tropical Storm Isaias forms packing 60mph winds
#AtlanticBasin – July 30, 2020 – Tropical Depression number nine, forecast to become the earliest ‘I’ named storm in history has finally earned that name: Isaias. In the wee hours of Thursday morning, TD#9 evolved from a tropical depression to a Tropical Storm with wind gusts up to 60 mph.
The National Hurricane Center, at 2 a.m. informed that Puerto Rico should expect strong rain bands from the tropical storm which has triggered storm watches and warnings for at least 10 Caribbean region countries.
Tropical Storm Isaias slowed from racing across the region at nearly 30 mph to now pacing at 21 mph in a north-westerly direction. Hispaniola, home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic will experience storm conditions this morning and worse, the storm could become a killer.
“Isaias will produce heavy rains and potentially life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides across the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, northern Haiti, and over the southeastern Bahamas.”
The Turks and Caicos Islands, which has been on Tropical Storm Watch since Wednesday at 12 a.m. has announced a national lockdown by noon Thursday and shelters are due to open at 4pm.
The southeastern Bahamas will experience conditions on Thursday afternoon and the central Bahama islands are predicted to shoulder powerful 60 mph wind conditions throughout the day on Friday.
“Tropical storm conditions are expected in the Central Bahamas beginning Friday morning and are possible in the northwestern Bahamas beginning late Friday.”
The National Hurricane Center advisory informs that British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, northern Haiti, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos and eastern Cuba will receive between three and six inches of rain.
Even higher rainfalls are forecast for The Bahamas; from four to eight inches. Life threatening surf and rip currents are expected from today due to approaching Tropical Storm Isaias.
“Swells generated by Isaias will be affecting portions of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico through today. These swells are forecast to reach the north coast of the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas this morning.”
The National Hurricane Center, in the latest advisory informs:
The Tropical Storm Warning for St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, St.
Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius has been discontinued.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra
* U.S. Virgin Islands
* British Virgin Islands
* Dominican Republic entire southern and northern coastlines
* North coast of Haiti from Le Mole St Nicholas eastward to the
northern border with the Dominican Republic
* Turks and Caicos Islands
* Southeastern Bahamas including the Acklins, Crooked Island, Long
Cay, the Inaguas, Mayaguana, and the Ragged Islands
* Central Bahamas, including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island,
Rum Cay, and San Salvador
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…
* Northwestern Bahamas including Andros Island, New Providence, Eleuthera, Abacos Islands, Berry Islands, Grand Bahamas Island, and Bimini
Interests in Cuba and the Florida peninsula should monitor the progress of this system.
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
January 20, 2023 – A month and a half after the end of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane season and five and a half
months before the 2023 season is scheduled to begin, a new storm system formed and was under watch by the National Hurricane Center.
A Special Tropical Weather Outlook was issued around 10:05 am on Monday (January 16) by the US National Hurricane Center to discuss the potential for subtropical development over the northwest Atlantic.
The non-tropical low pressure system was centered in the northwest about 300 miles north of Bermuda and is producing storm-force winds and thunderstorm activity near the center.
The system has been forecast to move into much colder waters across Atlantic Canada by early Tuesday making it is unlikely that it will become a subtropical or tropical cyclone.
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#USA, January 15, 2023 – At least 18 people have already been killed, and a 5-year-old boy is missing, in a bout of record breaking rain that bombarded California this week and meteorologists say more is coming.
The onslaught has been ongoing for more than 12 days now and more than 100 000 residents have had to be evacuated already. Widespread power outages are affecting hundreds of thousands of others. 
One of the most heartbreaking stories to come out of tragedy is that of a young boy Kyle Doan who was swept away in flood waters on Monday. On the way to school the cat in which he was riding, driven by his mother, a special education teacher became overcome with water.
She told local news she tried but couldn’t hold on to him.
Professional divers searched for him Monday until it became too dangerous for them, they have been searching on and off since
Now the worst is being predicted, another storm is on the way to the beleaguered state. Four more storms in fact are expected to hit the state next week in quick succession.
The state has experienced extreme drought and forest fires over the last 6 years which have razed celebrity and regular homes alike.
People have been praying for rain but residents say this is obviously not how they expected those petitions to be answered.
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#USA, December 23, 2022 – Just 24 hours after the first official day of winter, more than 5,000 flights in the US have already been cancelled through Thursday and Friday. Record drops in temperature and major outages for utilities are the predictions the National Weather Service (NWS) has for the holiday weekend owing to the massive winter storm charging across the United States.
‘Considerable’ travel impacts are possible the NWS warns citing snow squalls, and “brief bursts of moderate to heavy snow.”
On the ground snow will occur with gusts around or over 40 mph, creating sudden whiteouts and zero visibility and a danger of pile-ups on roadways, the NWS said as it warned of temperatures hitting as low as 36 degrees below zero by Friday night.
Photos of meteorologists tossing snow into the air and watching as it immediately condensed into ‘clouds’ went viral overnight. Along with travel interruptions the storm which the NWS has dubbed “the Polar Express” will bring
- Dangerous Cold for Much of Country
- Increased Danger if Power Outages Occur
- Rapid Temperature Drops with Front as temperatures have already been observed to drop more than 20 degrees in an hour
The US weather map is almost entirely covered in red and pink warnings, a huge uptick from last Friday when it was covered less than a third of the way. There was not a single mainland state without an active weather warning as of Thursday.
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