Hello, Chris is coming

[rjfvillarosa]

Ah well!!....... time to drag the hurricane shutters out for the first time this year. :(

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml

[blue60007]

Nuts!

[rjfvillarosa]

Just a quick update, at 5.30 this afternoon EST the winds were at 35mph.

TROPICAL STORM CHRIS LOCAL STATEMENT...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 600 PM AST TUE AUG 1 2006

...CORRECTED WATCHES/WARNINGS...

...TROPICAL STORM CHRIS STRENGTHENING... ...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO...

...NEW INFORMATION... WATCHES/WARNINGS. STORM INFORMATION. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTION. WIND IMPACTS. MARINE IMPACTS.

...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS AND VISITORS OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO.

...WATCHES/WARNINGS... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN 24 HOURS OR LESS.

...STORM INFORMATION... AT 530 PM AST...TROPICAL STORM CHRIS WAS LOCATED AT LATITUDE 18.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 61.1 WEST...OR ABOUT...75 MILES NORTHEAST OF ANTIGUA...OR ABOUT 225 MILES EAST OF ST CROIX OR ABOUT 250 MILES EAST OF ST THOMAS OR ABOUT 335 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF SAN JUAN. THE TROPICAL STORM WAS MOVING WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH...WITH THIS GENERAL MOTION EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 60 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... RESIDENTS AND VISITORS OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS PUERTO RICO SHOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE MAIN IMPACT FROM CHRIS CONTINUES TO BE THE HEAVY RAIN BANDS AND SQUALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE STORM AND THE STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE THAT COULD BE EXPERIENCED.

...WINDS... TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 25 MILES...FROM THE CENTER OF CHRIS. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE LATER TONIGHT OVER THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS...WITH SUSTAINED WINDS FORECAST TO REACH FROM 20 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS BY WEDNESDAY MORNING AS TROPICAL STORM CHRIS APPROACHES THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. BASED ON THE LATEST TRACK THE STORM CENTER IS FORECAST TO PASS NORTH OF ST JOHN AND ST THOMAS AROUND EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND GUSTS SHOULD BE EXPECTED AS THE RAIN BANDS AROUND THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE STORM IMPACT ST THOMAS AND ST JOHN. WINDS WILL CHANGE TO THE SOUTHEAST ONCE THE STORM MOVES WEST NORTHWEST OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS. WINDS OVER PUERTO RICO ARE FORECAST TO INCREASE TO NEAR 20 TO 25 MPH BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITH STRONGER GUSTS ALONG THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE ISLAND AND IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS BASED ON THE LATEST TRACK. CURRENTLY SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN OFFSHORE...BUT RESIDENTS OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO SHOULD MONITOR THIS CLOSELY AS ANY INCREASE IN THE INTENSITY TONIGHT OR A CHANGE TO A MORE WESTWARD TRACK COULD BRING THE STORM CLOSER TO THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO...AND MORE SIGNIFICANT STORM EFFECTS.

...INLAND FLOODING... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTER WESTERN FRINGES OF TROPICAL STORM CHRIS SHOULD BEGIN LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY ACROSS THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS...CULEBRA AND VIEQUES AND OVER THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF PUERTO RICO BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. HEAVY RAINS ARE LIKELY AS THE CENTER OF THE STORM PASSES TO THE NORTH THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO ON ITS FORECAST TRACK WITH A RISK OF SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AND FLOODING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE SURFACE WINDS CHANGE TO THE SOUTHEAST BEHIND THE CENTER OF THE STORM. RAINFALL TOTALS OF AT LEAST THREE TO SIX INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST INTERIOR SECTIONS OF PUERTO RICO AND THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE ISLAND. RIVERS ACROSS PUERTO RICO COULD EXPERIENCE RAPID RISES WITH SOME RIVERS EXCEEDING BANKFULL ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

...MARINE IMPACTS... SMALL CRAFT SHOULD PLAN TO REMAIN IN PORT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SEAS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE LOCAL ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS AND THROUGH THE ANEGADA PASSAGE AND THE ATLANTIC THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND WILL LIKELY REACH 10 TO 13 FEET AS STORM PASSES. HIGH SURF ADVISORIES AND COASTAL FLOOD WATCHES ARE LIKELY TO BE ISSUED LATER THIS EVENING FOR THE NORTHERN U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS.

...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 830 PM AST BY YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO.

[blue60007]

Yikes - that's headed right for you. :eek: Hopefully it'll stay weak like it is now.

[pam123]

Jeezzzeee.
Keep us posted.

[rjfvillarosa]

Hopefully "fingers crossed" it will stay on the same path and go north of San Juan, we live diagonally opposite on the South West corner of the Island.

[glc]

Looks now like you will be okay. I'd expect some rain and wind, but nothing really destructive.

[rjfvillarosa]

Fortunately it is veering north so saved by the bell again, it has been quite a few years since we have had a hurricane through this side of the island so I hope it stays that way.
"Chris" is the third storm of this season, the last two came to almost nothing. They have predicted that this will be a very active season and so far it has been pretty wet with a few bad thunderstorms but hopefully they are over predicting and erring on the side of caution after last years problems.

[RazorDX]

With the radical weather across the entire U.S. and even Europe, I'm not surprised.

[blue60007]

/me gets out his binoculars to watch gas prices go through the stratosphere. :rolleyes:

[rjfvillarosa]

Looks like we got lucky this time, but the Bahamas look like they may have a wet and windy few days. :(

[RazorDX]

/me gets out his binoculars to watch gas prices go through the stratosphere. :rolleyes:

I wish I was at binocular distance... it's hurting my neck having such close ties to gas.

[rjfvillarosa]

Ernesto was coming straight at us a few days ago, then it was Jamaica's turn now it seems to be Cuba and Florida, this storm has weaved it's way between the islands all along, lets hope it continues to veer to the north east and miss Cuba and Florida.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/115600.shtml?3day