NHC Tracking TS Dean

Miami’s National Hurricane Center is currently tracking the fourth named storm of the season – Tropical Storm Dean. The storm, which first formed southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, is “moving quickly westward with little change in strength,” said the NHC.

As of 5:00 a.m. AST, Dean’s center was located near latitude 12.2 north/longitude 44.2 west or about 1170 miles (1880 kms) east of the Lesser Antilles. The storm is “moving toward the west near 18 mph (30 km/hr) and this motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours,” said the NHC bulletin. “Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/hr) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 50 miles (85 kms) from the center. Estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 mb (29.53) inches.”

The NHC advised “interests in the Lesser Antilles” to monitor Dean’s progress, and seek information from local sources on possible storm warnings.

According to the NHC’s five-day forecast, TS Dean would cross the Lesser Antilles on Friday, and would pass south of Puerto Rico and the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Source: National Hurricane Center – http://www.nhc.noaa.gov