Hurricane Tammy could bring a lot of rain to Puerto Rico this weekend

Hurricane Tammy maintains maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (mph) this Saturday and is now moving towards the northwest, while the rains associated with the system are expected to begin to affect eastern Puerto Rico on Sunday, reported the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

According to the 8:00 am interim bulletin, Tammy was unchanged from the previous report, so the National Weather Service (SNM) in San Juan maintains its forecast of between 2 and 4 inches of rain for most sectors of Puerto Rico –mainly for the east–, and between 1 and 2 inches for the center, between this Saturday and Monday.

The meteorologist Lee Ann Englishof the SNM in San Juan, explained that Tammy will reach its closest point to the island on Sunday night, when the center of the cyclone will be located about 200 miles northeast of San Juan.

“Today is going to be variable, we are going to continue to see shower activity in the east of Puerto Rico, between light to moderate, in the morning period, and in the afternoon we could see the development of showers more in interior and western sectors of Puerto Rico, aided by local effects and instability due to an upper-level trough,” he detailed.

The system, at latitude 15.7 North, longitude 60.6 West, is about 50 miles east of Dominica and about 65 miles southeast of Guadeloupe. With current movement northwest at 9 mph, “a turn toward the north-northwest is anticipated on Sunday, followed by a turn toward the north on Monday.”

“As Tammy continues to move northwest, we’re going to see a little more influence from the hurricane’s moisture field and we could be seeing more frequent downpour activity. It is not that the hurricane is going to come our way, but that more humidity from external bands is going to reach the region and also, with these events that will change the pattern, we are going to see downpour activity in Puerto Rico,” he added. English.

Regarding maritime conditions, he indicated that waves of up to 7 feet are expected.

“On the forecast track, the center of Tammy will move near or over portions of the Leeward Islands through early Sunday, and then move north of the northern Leeward Islands on Sunday afternoon,” the bulletin reads. recent.

At the moment, there are no watches or warnings for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Guadeloupe, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, St. Maarten, Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy. Meanwhile, a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning remain in place for Saba and St. Eustatius. Additionally, the NHC placed Martinique and the British Virgin Islands under a tropical storm watch.

“Maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph with higher gusts. Fluctuations in intensity are possible over the next few days, but Tammy is expected to remain a hurricane as it passes near or over the Leeward Islands,” the NHC report adds.

The SNM meteorologist in San Juan urged caution among citizens when considering visiting bodies of water during this weekend. “Today (Saturday) it is going to rain and Sunday will probably be the rainiest day in Puerto Rico. Look at the weather conditions before visiting any river on the island, especially those in the east, where more downpour activity is expected, and also western sectors of Puerto Rico,” she commented.