8TH October 2010 – 5PM: The Flash Flood Warning issued for the VI has been discontinued however; a flash flood watch is in effect until 10Pm tonight. A Flash flood watch is issued when conditions are favorable for flash flooding in flood-prone areas where grounds are already saturated from recent rains.
As of 5PM, Hurricane Otto was located near 26.8N/62.3W, or about 2000 miles west-southwest of the Azores. Otto is moving faster to the northeast at 21 mph. Maximum sustained winds are now up to 80 mph. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center, tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 195 miles. . Rain bands associated with Otto continue to move across the eastern Caribbean, especially in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Hurricane Otto will continue to accelerate to the east-northeast across the Atlantic. By Monday morning, Otto is expected to move near or over the Azores Islands and then potentially move in the direction of mainland Portugal.
Otto is expected to intensify somewhat during the next 24 hours and could peak near category 2 status. It is then expected to slowly weaken. However, the forecast now calls for Otto to retain hurricane intensity as it moves near or through the Azores Islands. Otto is then expected to make the transition to a post-tropical storm as it moves toward mainland Portugal.
Rain bands from Otto continue to produce rainfall for the Leeward and Virgin Islands, as well as Puerto Rico. Another 3-6 inches of rain can be expected during the next 12-24 hours for areas within the rain bands. The rains are expected to move to the east of the area tomorrow.
The Virgin Islands has been experiencing torrential rain for the past few days. One of the DDM Weather Stations at MacNamara collected 24.00 inches of rain over the last three days. This is significant rainfall when compared to the rainfall amounts that fell over a two week period in November 2003 which were range of 20 inches.
Residents and visitors are reminded to continue to EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION on roadways as some of them are extremely dangerous to drive on. The Territory remains under a State of Emergency. The DDM will continue to monitor this system and provide releases as necessary. Please visit the Department of Disaster Management’s website at www.bviddm.com for continuously updated information.
Disclaimer: The Department of Disaster Management (DDM) is not an official Meteorological Office. The Information disseminated by the Department is gathered from a number of professional sources used or contracted by the DDM to provide such information. This information is to be used as a guide by anyone who has interest in local weather conditions. By no means can the DDM or the BVI Government be held accountable by anyone who uses this information appropriately for legal evidence or in justification of any decision which may result in the loss of finances, property or life.
