ALERT #31 ON HURRICANE ISAIAS

……ISAIAS EMERGING OVER THE FLORIDA STRAITS OF FLORIDA…...

HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF ANDROS, NEW PROVIDENCE, ELEUTHERA, ABACO, GRAND BAHAMA, BIMINI AND THE BERRY ISLANDS INCLUDING THE NEIGHBOURING CAYS,

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE BEING EXPERIENCED OR COULD BE EXPERIENCED SOMEWHERE IN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.

AT 2 PM EDT, THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY RADAR LOCATED THE CENTER OF ISAIAS NEAR LATITUDE 24.9 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 78.4 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RED BAYS NORTH ANDROS OR ABOUT 50 MILES WEST OF NEW PROVIDENCE AND 115 MILES SOUTH OF FREEPORT GRAND BAHAMA.

ISAIAS IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 12 MPH, AND A GENERAL NORTHWESTWARD MOTION WITH SOME DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT DAY OR SO, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST LATE ON SUNDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF ISAIAS WILL MOVE OVER THE FLORIDA STRAITS TONIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ISAIAS HAS WEAKENED AFTER PASSING OVER ANDROS ISLAND. HOWEVER, SOME STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 25 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES FROM THE CENTER

STORM SURGE OF 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG COASTAL AREAS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS.

RESIDENTS IN BIMINI, THE BERRY ISLANDS, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO WILL EXPERIENCE STRONG TROPICAL STORM TO HURRICANE FORCE CONDITIONS TONIGHT, SUBSIDING SUNDAY AFTERNOON. RESIDENTS IN ANDROS AND NEW PROVIDENCE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WHICH WILL SUBSIDE TONIGHT.

LOCALIZED FLOODING IS EXPECTED AS ISAIAS IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES.

RESIDENTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO REMAIN INDOORS WHILE EXPERIENCING HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. TORNADIC ACTIVITIES ARE POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

SMALL CRAFT IN THE BAHAMAS IN THE WARNING AREAS SHOULD SEEK SAFE HARBOUR AND REMAIN IN PORT DUE TO DANGEROUS SWELLS AHEAD, DURING AND AFTER THE PASSAGE OF ISAIAS.

RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO FOLLOW ALL ADVICE GIVEN IN ALERT MESSAGES.

THE NEXT ALERT ON HURRICANE ISAIAS WILL BE ISSUED AT 6 PM EDT SATURDAY 1ST AUGUST, 2020.

ISSUED BY: BASIL DEAN