BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LOCAL meteorological officials are keeping a close watch on Tropical Storm Dorian, which had developed overnight.
On its current path, the storm is predicted to become a category 1 hurricane by early Tuesday (Aug. 27) as it passes through the Antilles.
In its 11:00 a.m. brief today, the Nevis Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) said the center of Tropical Storm Dorian was located near Latitude 11.2 North and Longitude 52.9 West.
Forecasters said Dorian is moving towards the west near 14 mph and that motion is expected to continue the tonight, with a west-northwest turn expected tomorrow.
According to the NDMA, the west-northwest motion is expected to continue into Tuesday night.
Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with high gust, and forecasters warned that some strengthening is expected over the next 48 hours.
On the forecast track, the center of Dorian is expected to be near the Windward Island late tomorrow or early Tuesday, before moving into the Eastern Caribbean Sea.
Meanwhile, a Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for Barbados and a Tropical Strom Watch for St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The National Hurricane Center said that Tropical Storm Watches could be in effect for portions of the Lesser Antilles later today.
