PHILIPSBURG--The tropical storm warning was disconnected at 8:00am for St. Maarten/St. Marin. Hurricane Jose did not touch the already severely damaged island much to the relief of its exhausted, and many homeless, residents.
At 8:00am, the eye of Hurricane Jose was located near latitude 21.2 North, longitude 65.3 West. Jose is moving toward the northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h) and this general motion is expected to continue over the next 24 hours. A slower forward motion is expected later Monday into Tuesday as Jose begins to make a turn toward the north.
Maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph (215 km/h) with higher gusts. Jose is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Gradual weakening is forecast during the next couple of days.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles (260 km). NOAA Buoy 41043 recently reported a one minute sustained wind of 90 mph and a peak wind gust of 110 mph.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 944 millibars (27.88 inches). NOAA Buoy 41043 recently reported a minimum pressure of 963 mb (28.45 inches).
