THIS IS ALERT NUMBER SIXTEEN (#16) ON HURRICANE IRENE ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT, AT 9:00 AM, TUESDAY, 23RD AUGUST 2011.
…IRENE CONTINUES TO HEAD FOR THE SE BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WHICH INCLUDES LONG ISLAND, SAN SALVADOR, RUM CAY, CAT ISLAND, EXUMA AND ITS CAYS, INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, RAGGED ISLAND AND ACKLINS. A HURRICANE WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN THIRTY-SIX (36) HOURS.
A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS WHICH INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA, ABACO, BERRY ISLANDS, ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE AND ANDROS.
A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN FORTY-EIGHT (48) HOURS.
AT 8:00 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRENE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.6° DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 70.6° DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 85 MILES SOUTHEAST (SE) OF GRAND TURK, TURKS AND CAICOS, ABOUT 191 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST (ESE) OF MATTHEW TOWN, INAGUA AND 524 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NASSAU.
IRENE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST (WNW) NEAR 10 MILES PER HOUR AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK THE CENTRE OF IRENE WILL MOVE NEAR OR OVER THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS BY TONIGHT…AND NEAR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS EARLY WEDNESDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 100 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRENE IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HRS AND IRENE COULD BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE LATER TODAY OR WEDNESDAY.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 205 MILES. STORM SURGE AND BATTERING WAVES WILL IMPACT THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND SPREAD INTO THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS BY NIGHT-TIME…. HEAVY DOWNPOUR WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD FLOODING IN MANY OF THE LOW LYING ISLANDS IN THE WARNING AREAS
RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED ALL PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT THEIR
PROPERTY.RESIDENTS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS SHOULD FINALISETHE NECESSARY PREPARATIONS IN ADVANCE OF IRENE.
RESIDENTS IN THE WARNING AREA WHOSE DWELLINGS ARE NOT WARRANTED SOUND, SHOULD CONTACT THEIR LOCAL ADMINISTRATORS TO FIND SUITABLE SHELTERS. SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT.
THE NEXT ALERT WILL BE ISSUED AT NOON EDT.
PREPARED BY ARTHUR W. ROLLE
