public notice: alert #19 on hurricane fiona at 6pm september 19 2022
Weather Update
ALERT #19 ON HURRICANE FIONA, ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY, MONDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER, 2022 AT 6PM EDT.
...FIONA IS STRENGTHENING...
…RAINBANDS ARE CURRENTLY SPREADING ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. HURRICANE CONDITIONS MAY BE EXPERIENCED IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS BY MIDNIGHT…
A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS. INCLUDED ARE THE ISLANDS OF INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, SAMANA CAY, LONG CAY AND RAGGED ISLAND.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD BE EXPERIENCED IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.
AT 5PM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FIONA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.1 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 69.8 DEGREES WEST, OR ABOUT 130 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GRAND TURK ISLAND, OR 245 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MAYAGUANA, OR 260 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA, OR 400 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SAN SALVADOR, OR ABOUT 590 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NASSAU NEW PROVIDENCE.
FIONA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST ON TUESDAY AND TO THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF FIONA WILL PASS NEAR OR TO THE EAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ON TUESDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 100 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. STEADY STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, AND FIONA IS FORECAST TO BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE ON TUESDAY.
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS, PARTICULARLY THOSE ON INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, SAMANA CAY, ACKLINS AND CROOKED ISLAND, SHOULD BRACE THEMSELVES FOR POSSIBLE TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS LATER TONIGHT. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS MAY INCLUDE: STRONG WINDS, HEAVY RAINS AND LOCALIZED FLOODING.
RAINFALL AMOUNT OF 4 TO 8 INCHES IS EXPECTED OVER THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND 1 TO 3 INCHES OVER THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
BEACHGOERS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ARE TO REFRAIN FROM ENTERING THE WATERS, AS LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ARE POSSIBLE.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN IN PORT.
SWELLS GENERATED BY FIONA ARE AFFECTING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, AND THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS. THESE SWELLS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD WESTWARD ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC TOWARD THE CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS THROUGH MIDWEEK.
