PHILIPSBURG--A tropical storm warning was issued for St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius and Anguilla by their respective meteorological services at 11:00pm on Tuesday. The warning replaced the watches that had been in place from early Tuesday morning in connection with the passing of Tropical Storm Erika.
The French side of the island – St. Martin – is under a tropical storm watch, as are Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Guadeloupe, St. Barths, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
On the forecast track, the centre of Erika will be near the Northeastern Caribbean Wednesday night and early Thursday. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area by late Wednesday and tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area by Wednesday night or early Thursday, said the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC).
This is the first time since the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season started on June 1 that a warning has been issued for St. Maarten and surrounding islands. A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
St. Maarten was under a tropical storm watch from Saturday into Monday for what later become the remnants of Tropical Storm Danny. None of the islands were affected by that storm.
However, things are expected to be different with Erika, which was named by NHC on Monday night. Erika was described in NHC’s 11:00pm bulletin as “poorly organised” as it continues toward the Northeastern Caribbean.
The centre of Tropical Storm Erika was located at the time of the bulletin near latitude 16.0 North, longitude 54.4 West, moving toward the West near 18mph (30km/h), and a West to West-Northwestward motion at a slightly slower forward speed was expected over the next 48 hours.
Maximum sustained winds were near 40mph (65km/h) with higher gusts. No significant change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours.
Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 105 miles (165km) to the North and East of the centre.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 millibars (29.71 inches).
Erika is expected to produce total rain accumulations of two to four inches over many of the Leeward Islands through Thursday.
Erika also is expected to produce waves up to 13 feet near its centre as it approaches the Northern Leeward Islands. Some coastal flooding and beach erosion is possible on Thursday as the storm passes its nearest to St. Maarten.
While residents are not looking forward to the wind and gusts, many are glad for rain to saturate the badly drought-affected islands.
The Office of Disaster Management in an advisory issued early on Tuesday called on residents to make preparations to protect life and property.
Residents also are advised to monitor weather reports on
www.meteosxm.com and to check Government’s website
www.sintmaartengov.org or
Facebook.com/governmentofsintmaarten for information about the storm and storm related preparations.
