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Alert / Warning
Meteorological - SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
...This is an ACTUAL SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ALERT...
Issued By: VITEMA
Affected Jurisdictions: St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, Water Island Counties
Headline: VITEMA to Activate St. Croix Emergency Operations Center at 5 PM Today; VI Remains Under Tropical Storm Watch
The Virgin Islands remains under a Tropical Storm Watch and Flash Flood Watch as Tropical Storm Chantal continues its trek across the Tropical Atlantic. At 11 a.m., the center of Chantal was located about 315 miles southeast of the Virgin Islands near 14.4 degrees north, 61.5 degrees west with top winds that have increased to near 60 miles per hour. Chantal is moving to the west-northwest at 29 miles per hour.
Tropical Storm Chantal is expected to continue to move away from the Lesser Antilles later today, continue over the Eastern Caribbean Sea later today and tonight and be near or over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday. On its forecast track, the center of Chantal should make its closest point of approach to the Virgin Islands around 10 pm tonight when it will pass some 116 miles south-southwest of St. Croix with top winds of 65 miles per hour.
Based on forecasts from the National Weather Service, VITEMA Director Elton Lewis has directed the activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on St. Croix at 5 p.m. today. The St. Thomas and St. John EOCs will remain at steady state or standby until further notice.
Director Lewis has also requested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Caribbean Area Division (CAD) at San Juan deploy an Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to St. Croix. FEMA CAD is currently preparing to deploy
the IMAT today to support the Territory’s emergency response and recovery operations.
The public should make final preparations to be ready in the event the Territory is impacted by with Tropical Storm Chantal.
Make sure preparedness steps include assembling an emergency supply kit stocked with at least three days’ worth of essential items and a plan to contact and communicate with family. Special consideration should be given to young children, the elderly and pets.
Continue to monitor local radio and TV broadcasts for weather updates on Tropical Storm Chantal and for directions from local emergency management officials.
A Tropical Storm Watch and Small Craft Advisory have also been issued for the coastal waters of the Virgin Islands. At this point, mariners should be in safe harbor and working to secure their vessel.
Posted : July 9, 2013 5:06 pm
please stay safe everybody.
Posted : July 9, 2013 5:15 pm
Topic starter
ditto. I hate hurricane season! Just the anxiety alone taxing.
Posted : July 9, 2013 5:44 pm
went to weather underground, it looks far south of us. should not be too bad unless it gets closer
Posted : July 9, 2013 5:48 pm
Here's a great site where you can see it in motion on the lat/long grid:
Posted : July 9, 2013 5:58 pm
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A Tropical Storm Warning Continues For Portions Of Puerto Rico And The U.S. Virgin Islands Coastal Waters. A Tropical Storm Watch Continues For The Following Locations... Culebra...Vieques...St. Thomas/St. John/Adjacent Islands And St Croix. For Marine Interests...A Tropical Storm Watch Continues For Portions Of Puerto Rico And The U.S. Virgin Islands Coastal Waters. A Flash Flood Watch Is In Effect For All Of Puerto Rico And The U.S. Virgin Islands. Please Listen Closely For Any Flood Warnings That Might Be In Effect For Your Area. Please Check The Latest Public And Marine Forecasts For Detailed Information About Additional Hazards. .Storm Information...
At 2 PM AST...The Center Of Tropical Storm Chantal Was Located Near Latitude 14.8N...Longitude 62.7W. This Was About 340 Miles Southeast Of Ponce Pr...Or About 240 Miles Southeast Of Saint Croix Vi. Storm Motion Was Wnw Or 295 Degrees At 29 Mph. Storm Intensity Was 65 Mph. .Situation Overview... Squalls Associated With Tropical Storm Chantal Will Begin To Arrive Into The Virgin Islands By This Evening And Into Puerto Rico A Bit Later. These Squalls Will Be Accompanied By Strong Wind Gusts Of 35 To 45 Mph Which May Cause Small Tree Branches To Come Down And Scattered Power Outages. These Squalls Will Also Be Accompanied By Torrential Rainfall Which Could Result In Flash Flooding Of Small Streams And Rivers Especially Over The Eastern Half Of Puerto Rico. Isolated Brief Weak Tornadoes Or Waterspouts Are Possible Mainly Over Southern Puerto Rico And The Caribbean Coastal Waters. .Precautionary/Preparedness Actions... .Next Update... The Next Local Statement Will Be Issued By The National Weather Service In San Juan Around 630 PM AST
Posted : July 9, 2013 8:52 pm
