Looks like the DR has it’s next tropical storm lined up. This one is called Irene and is expected to pass over the DR on Monday Aug 22. Www.tropicalstormrisk.com/ reports that there is the possibility that this storm will turn into a Cat 1 hurricane ad it passes over on its way to Florida.
With a Cat 1 hurricane the predicted 1 minute maximum sustained winds would reach 74-95 mph. The current prediction has the storm passing directly through the middle of the Dominican Republic.
There is also a Hurricane watch for Puerto Rico. Irene is expected to weaken to a storm as it finishes it’s pass over the Dominican Republic.
As of 11 am the Dominican Government changed its tropical storm warning to a hurricane warning that is expected to affect the north coast of the DR from Cabo Engano to Cabo Frances Viejo. This hurrcane warning is posted on the noaa.gov website.
As usually it’s probably best to make sure you have a couple days worth of water and a little extra food on hand in case the prediction comes true. I’ll be continuing to update this blog past as the storm comes closer.
August 21st, 2011 at 12:10 pm
As of 2 pm today Irene has just about reached the virgin Islands. Here are some of the expected effects as it passes over land.
WIND…TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
AND PUERTO RICO INCLUDING CULEBRA AND VIEQUES TODAY…AND IN THE
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC EARLY MONDAY. HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
OVER PUERTO RICO INCLUDING VIEQUES AND CULEBRA TONIGHT…AND OVER
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ON MONDAY.
RAINFALL…IRENE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS
OF 4 TO 7 INCHES IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS…PUERTO RICO AND THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS…WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF UP TO 10 INCHES.
TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND HAITI…WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF
20 INCHES POSSIBLE. THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH
FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES IN AREAS OF STEEP TERRAIN.
August 21st, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Look like Punta Cana will be the first place hit in the DR. The map show the hurricane watch to extend to La Romana and all the way to Santo Domingo en la sur.
August 21st, 2011 at 2:02 pm
As of 5 pm the hurricane warning is in effect for the entire coastline of the Dominican Republic. This is a change from the earlier warning where it was only in effect for part of the coast line.
The center of Irene is now near ST Croix (about 40 miles east) At this point it is still considered a tropical storm with the maximum sustained winds at 50 mph or about 85 km/h
The hurricane watch is also in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques, culebra, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
There is currently a Tropical Storm Warning for Haiti. It is expected for the storm to decrease some as it passes over the DR
August 21st, 2011 at 4:54 pm
as of 8pm CENTER OF IRENE MOVING PAST ST. CROIX…TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS SPREADING OVER EASTERN PUERTO RICO
August 21st, 2011 at 5:53 pm
STORM SURGE…A STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 3
TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ALONG THE COAST OF THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA. A STORM SURGE OF 1 TO 3
FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS EXPECTED ALONG THE COAST OF PUERTO
RICO…AS WELL AS IN THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA. NEAR THE
COAST…THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DANGEROUS WAVES.
August 21st, 2011 at 8:09 pm
As of 11pm
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS HAS CHANGED THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH
TO A HURRICANE WATCH FOR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS.
Irene is still strengthening as it gets closer to Puerto Rico.
A STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 3
TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ALONG THE COAST OF THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA.
August 22nd, 2011 at 5:26 am
The hurricane watch is now in effect for Haiti from Le Mole st Nicholas east to the Rupublica Dominicana border. Hate to see that area get hit again.