Disturbance 1/Invest 96L has been upgraded to Tropical Depression 4.
At 11:00 a.m., the National Hurricane Centre upgraded the system which is now located at 10.6 degrees North, 36.5 degrees West and moving towards the west at 13 miles per hour.
Maximum sustained winds are near 35mph with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is predicted during the next 48 hours and forecasters have indicated the likelihood of the depression becoming a tropical storm later today.
Forecasters expect the system to move on a slightly north of due west path during the next several days. In about six to seven, it is forecast to move into the eastern Caribbean.
Conditions favour gradual intensification during the next three to four days. Forecasters anticipate the system could reach a peak intensity of 60 mph in four days.
Forecasters have not ruled out the possibility of the system becoming a hurricane. Some of the models are forecasting hurricane intensity.
As the system moves into the Caribbean, it is likely that there will be increasing wind shear, which will cause weakening. This likely will not occur until after the system impacts the islands of the eastern Caribbean.
Tropical Depression 4 is not an immediate threat to the British Virgin Islands but residents are advised to monitor the system as it progresses and keep abreast of updates issued by the Department of Disaster Management.
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