14th September 2010 –At 11:00AM the centre of Hurricane Igor was located near Latitude 18.3 North/Longitude 52.3 West, or about 710 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands. Movement is to the west-northwest at 7mph. Maximum sustained winds are near 135mph making Igor a category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Hurricane force winds extend outwards up to 50 miles and tropical storm force winds extend up to 195 miles. Estimated minimum central pressure is 945MB.
Forecasters expect Igor to maintain category 4 status over the next 48-72 hours and expect it to slowly weaken by Friday.
Igor has begun to take a turn to the west-northwest this morning. A turn to the northwest is expected by tonight. This track would take the center of Igor about 400 miles to the northeast of the islands of the eastern Caribbean late Wednesday evening.
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 later tonight and Wednesday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
HURRICANE JULIA
At 11:00AM, Hurricane Julia was located near Latitude 16.2 North/Longitude 29.5 West, or about 355 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Maximum sustained winds are now near 85 mph. Movement is to the west-northwest at 10 mph.
Experts forecast Julia to move generally to the west-northwest to northwest over the next five days. This will keep Julia over the open Atlantic and away from any land areas.
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.
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.
