12:00 noon Weather Report

Forecasters: Vigil Saltibus/Lemuel O’Shaughnessy

Present weather at Hewanorra Airport is cloudy.

Present weather at GFL Charles Airport is cloudy.

Present temperature at Hewanorra Airport is 31 °C or 88 °F.

Last night’s minimum temperature at Hewanorra Airport was 27 °C or 81 ° F.

Wind at Hewanorra Airport is blowing from the south-southeast at 14 mph or 22 km/h.

Rainfall in the 24-hour period that ended at 8:00 am today:

At Hewanorra Airport: nil.       At GFL Charles Airport: 3.0 mm.

Total rainfall for the month of September so far:

At Hewanorra Airport: 94.6 mm.   At GFL Charles Airport: 158.6 mm.    

Sunset today: 5:58 pm.             Sunrise tomorrow: 5:53 am.      

FORECAST FOR SAINT LUCIA VALID FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS

Winds will be blowing from between the southeast and east near 16 mph or 26 km/h.

Weather: Cloudy at times with a few light to moderate showers.

MARINE FORECAST FOR SEAS IN A 25 MILE OR 40 KM RADIUS FROM SAINT LUCIA

Tides for Castries Harbour: High at 12:59 pm…Low at 5:22 pm.

Tides for Vieux Fort Bay:   High at 02:06 pm…Low at 6:49 pm.

Seas: Slight to moderate with waves and swells 3 to 6 feet or 0.9 to 1.8 metres.

FORECAST FOR THE LESSER ANTILLES

Cloudy and breezy with scattered moderate to heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms over the Northern Leeward Islands. Elsewhere, fair skies becoming cloudy at times with a few showers.

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

Moisture and instability trailing Tropical Storm Karen will continue to cause cloudiness, showers and possibly thunderstorms mainly over the Northern Lesser Antilles today.

A tropical wave located over the central tropical Atlantic is moving westward near 12 mph or 19 km/h.

…CENTER OF KAREN APPROACHING PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS…

At 11:00 am today, the center of Tropical Storm Karen was located near latitude 17.5 north, longitude 65.8 west or about 65 miles or 105 kilometers south- southeast of San Juan Puerto Rico.

Karen is moving toward the north near 8 mph (13 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue today.  A north-northeastward motion with some increase in forward speed is forecast tonight through Wednesday night.  On the forecast track, the center of Karen will pass near or over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands this afternoon and then move over the western Atlantic tonight and Wednesday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph or 65 km/h, with higher gusts. Slow strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for Puerto Rico as well as the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Interests elsewhere in the Northern Leewards Islands should continue to monitor the progress of Karen.

…LORENZO FORECAST TO BECOME A LARGE AND POWERFUL HURRICANE…

At 11:00 am today, the center of Tropical Storm Lorenzo was located near latitude 12.4 north, longitude 29.3 west. Lorenzo is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue through early Thursday.  A northwestward motion should begin on Thursday and continue into Friday.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 65 mph (100 km/h) with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast during the next several days, and Lorenzo is expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday, and a major hurricane on Thursday.

This system is expected to remain over the open Atlantic Ocean during the next five days.