Hurricane watch, tropical storm warning now in effect
Published:Friday | July 2, 2021 | 12:19 PM
The tropical storm watch for Jamaica has been upgraded to a warning and a hurricane watch is now also in effect as Hurricane Elsa barrels into the eastern Caribbean.
The Meteorological Service Division says this means that tropical storm conditions, including possible sustained wind speeds of 34-63 knots or 63-118 km/h, are expected to affect Jamaica, while hurricane conditions also pose a possible threat to the island in 36 hours or less.
At 10:00 a.m. the centre of Hurricane Elsa was located near Latitude 13.4 degrees North, Longitude 61.2 degrees West, or about 1,050 miles east-southeast of Morant Point, Jamaica.
This is also five miles north of St Vincent in the eastern Caribbean.
The Met office says Elsa is moving quickly towards the west-northwest near 29 miles per hour and this general motion is expected to continue during the next couple of days.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 75 miles per hour, with higher gusts, and little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up 25 miles from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extend as far as 140 miles from the centre.
On its forecast track, the Met office says the centre of Hurricane Elsa will continue to move over the eastern Caribbean today and through the central Caribbean, south of Hispaniola, on Saturday before passing just east and north of Jamaica on Sunday morning.
Heavy showers and thunderstorms, along with winds reaching tropical-storm force, could begin to impact eastern sections of Jamaica as early as Saturday night.
Dangerous sea conditions associated with the hurricane are expected to spread across the Caribbean over the next 24-36 hours.
The Met office says small craft operators, including fishers from cays and banks, should by now be in port and are urged to complete their necessary safety precautions without delay.
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