ALERT #20 ON TROPICAL STORM LAURA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY, SATURDAY 22ND AUGUST 2020, AT 6 PM EDT.

BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

Forecast Office Section

Telephone No. 377-7178/377-7040 Fax No. 377-5275

Nassau, Bahamas

 

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, AND SAMANA CAY. 

 

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

 

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS. 

 

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, EXUMA, RUM CAY AND SAN SALVADOR. 

 

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR ANDROS ISLAND.

 

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 48 HOURS.

 

A TROPICAL STORM ALERT REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF GRAND BAHAMA, ABACO, BIMINI, THE BERRY ISLANDS, ELEUTHERA AND NEW PROVIDENCE.

 

A TROPICAL STORM ALERT MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 60 HOURS.

 

AT 5 PM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM LAURA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.0 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 68.1 DEGREES WEST, OR ABOUT 100 MILES WEST OF PONCE, PUERTO RICO, OR ABOUT 310 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GRAND TURK, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, OR ABOUT 410 MILES SOUTHEAST OF INAGUA, OR ABOUT 760 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.

 

LAURA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 18 MPH AND A GENERALLY WESTNORTHWEST MOTION IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF LAURA WILL MOVE AWAY FROM PUERTO RICO THIS EVENING, NEAR OR OVER HISPANIOLA TONIGHT, NEAR OR OVER CUBA ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY, WHILE PASSING SOUTH OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ON SUNDAY. 

 

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN STRENGTH ARE FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS WHILE LAURA MOVES NEAR OR OVER HISPANIOLA AND CUBA. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST ONCE LAURA MOVES INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. 

 

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES MAINLY TO THE NORTH OF THE CENTER.

 

LOCALIZED FLOODING AND GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE AFOREMENTIONED ISLANDS AS THE SYSTEM APPROACHES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

 

RESIDENTS IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS SHOULD HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED PREPARATIONS FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS BEGINNING EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AND SHOULD REMAIN INDOORS AS THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF TORNADIC ACTIVITIES DURING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. 

 

RESIDENTS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND ANDROS SHOULD CONTINUE TO PREPARE FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS. RESIDENTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO CLOSELY MONITOR THE ALERTS ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY. 

 

THE NEXT ALERT ON TROPICAL STORM LAURA WILL BE ISSUED AT 9 PM EDT TONIGHT. 

 

ISSUED BY: JEFFREY SIMMONS