13th September 2010 –At 5:00pm the centre of Hurricane Igor was located near Latitude 17.7 North/Longitude 50.5 West, or about 908 miles east of the Virgin Islands. Movement is to the west at 10mph. Maximum sustained winds are near 150mph. Hurricane force winds extend outwards up to 50 miles and tropical storm force winds extend up to 195 miles. Estimated minimum central pressure is 933MB.
Igor will be reaching the western periphery of a large area of high pressure to its north today. This means that Igor should begin a gradual turn to the west-northwest and northwest tonight. This track would take the center of Igor about 400 miles to the northeast of the islands of the eastern Caribbean on Thursday.
Some fluctuation in the intensity is likely during the next 48hous and Igor is expected to remain a powerful Hurricane for the next couple of days.
Although Hurricane Igor is expected to track northeast of the territory the passage of the system is expected to deteriorate marine conditions around late Wednesday through Friday. Swells generated by Igor will begin affecting the leeward islands on Tuesday…and will reach Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Tuesday night and Wednesday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
TROPICAL STORM JULIA
The centre of Tropical Storm Julia at 5:00pm was located near Latitude 15.3 North/Longitude 27.5 West, or about 210 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands Northern Leeward Islands. Movement is to the west-northwest at 14mph. Maximum sustained winds are near 50mph.
Tropical storm Julia could become a Hurricane in the next couple of days. At this time, the forecast does not project any impact from Julia on the Virgin Islands.
Residents are urged not to become relaxed, but to remain in a state of high alert. We are now in the peak of the 2010 Hurricane Season, and any preparedness issues not addressed earlier should be taken care of as soon as possible. Further advisories and information on developing systems in the Atlantic can be found on the Department of Disaster Management’s website at www.bviddm.com.