UPDATE: Hurricane Jerry weakens to Category 1 storm
According to the NHC, Jerry slightly sped up its forward motion and is now moving west-northwest at 17 mph with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.
And according to the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) in its 11:00am advisory, Jerry was located latitude 18.8 North, longitude 60.3 West or approximately 270 miles away from the [British] Virgin Islands.
It said the hurricane is still moving at 17 mph and at this current speed the hurricane is expected to pass north of the VI around Saturday, September 21, 2019.
Air craft reconnaissance has indicated maximum sustained winds have decreased to 85 mph making Jerry a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane force winds extend 15 miles from centre with tropical storm force winds extending out 80 miles from the centre.
Although the hurricane is expected to pass north of the VI, forecasters maintain the potential for heavy rainfall across the territory with isolated amounts between 4 – 6 inches possible in Anegada and 1 -3 inches in other parts of the territory.
The storm is expected to pass north of Puerto Rico by Sunday, but then is projected to take a sharp turn to the north and threaten Bermuda by early next week.
More disturbances
The NHC is also tracking several disturbances in the tropics.
The most recent development involves a disturbance predicted to move off the African coast this weekend. It has a 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression in the next five days.
A disturbance in the mid-Atlantic region has a 30 percent chance of developing into a depression in the next five days, and a 20 percent chance of doing so in the next 48 hours.
The last disturbance the NHC is watching is in the Caribbean Sea but upper level winds are keeping its odds of development low at 10 percent in the next two to five days.
See previous article published September 19, 2019
UPDATE: Public Service; public schools closed tomorrow as Hurricane Jerry forms
Jerry has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center's latest advisory, and the public service and public schools in the Virgin Islands (VI) will be closed tomorrow, September 20, 2019 as the storm is expected to pass north of the territory tomorrow into Saturday.
Hurricane Jerry had maximum sustained winds of 85 MPH (140 KM/H) as of 2:00am Thursday. At that time, the storm was about 435 miles (700km) east of the Leeward Islands and headed west-northwest at 16 mph, the hurricane center said.
The storm is the 10th named storm of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, and follows Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Imelda, the remnants of which are causing flooding in southeastern Texas on Thursday.
NEOC to be activated at 5:00pm
Acting Governor David D. Archer, in a statement this afternoon, said in consultation with the Honourable Premier and Minister of Finance Andrew A. Fahie (R1) and on the advice of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), he will activate the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) at Level 1 at 5:00 pm today, September 19, 2019.
This means that critical response agencies in the NEOC Operations group will be monitoring the situation closely and be on standby for the possibility of increasing the activation level.
Public service & schools closed tomorrow
Mr Archer said the public service, including all public schools, will be closed, tomorrow, September 20, 2019, except for essential services.
He said these essential services, as defined by the BVI Labour Code, are the Police Service, Prison Service, Water and Sewerage Services, Fire and Rescue Services, Electricity Generation and Distribution Services, Telecommunication Services, Health Care Providers, Transportation Services and Port Services.
Although the public service will be closed for usual operations, public officers are required to work remotely where possible.
‘Expedite preparations’
With Hurricane Jerry not expected to make landfall in the VI, Mr Archer said “we must acknowledge that the most pressing lesson learned from Hurricane Dorian and other systems so far this season is their capacity to change course and gain strength unexpectedly.”
He urged residents to expedite ongoing preparation for the storm.
“For some, this level of preparation may seem extreme, and it certainly requires extra effort for all involved. To those persons I will simply say that I would much rather face the loss of work hours, than the loss of lives. If nothing else, let us all utilise the approach of Hurricane Jerry to put all the lessons we have learned and plans we’ve put in place since 2017 to the test.”
According to Mr Archer, the sea conditions in the northern parts of the territory are already hazardous, which resulted in the closure of the St Thomas Bay Jetty in Virgin Gorda.
Situation in Bermuda
Meanwhile, in Bermuda, numerous buildings have been damaged with local media reporting that the CedarBridge Academy shelter suffered damaged windows but none of the 46 members of the public or 30 support staff were injured.
Part of the roof blew off at Island Glass, on Serpentine Road, at least eight homes were reported damaged in the West End and the Government warned people to stay off the roads in the morning because of downed trees and power lines.
Emergency incidents included a reported propane gas leak at Caesar’s Pharmacy on Main Road, Somerset, and a car getting stuck in the area of Stokes Point Road, St George’s.
Public schools and government offices will remain closed up until tomorrow.
See previous article published September 19, 2019
Humberto knocks out power in Bermuda; TS Watch issued for Jerry
More than 27, 000 people on Bermuda are without power after Hurricane Humberto brushed past the island last night as a Category 3 storm.
Bermuda will be feeling only some leftover winds today, Thursday, September 19, 2019 as Hurricane Humberto keeps moving further into the Atlantic.
The Category 3 storm's 120 mph winds left 80% of the island without power, a utility company on the island reportedly told CNN.
After the hurricane's swipe at the island, the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service reported 17 minor incidents including gas leaks, nine medical incidents and three structural fires that were not serious, the government said.
Humberto is expected to weaken Thursday and become a post-tropical cyclone by Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.
By early Thursday, the center had discontinued all warnings for Bermuda as Humberto churned about 195 miles north northeast of Bermuda.
The island was still feeling the storm's tropical storm-force winds Thursday morning, which extended 220 miles from the center.
Bermuda rarely sees storms as big and powerful as Humberto. Only 21 hurricanes have passed within 100 miles of the Atlantic Ocean paradise over the past century, with Hurricane Gonzalo in 2014 being the last to make landfall there.
TS Jerry brewing in Atlantic
Meanwhile, a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Barbuda, Anguilla, St Maarten, St Martin, St Barthelemy, Saba and St Eustatius as Tropical Storm Jerry continues to brew in the Atlantic.
Jerry is forecast to become a hurricane later today, with little change in strength anticipated when it reaches the northern Leeward Islands on Friday, September 19, 2019, the hurricane center said.
"Although the core of Jerry is currently expected to pass north of the islands, tropical-storm-force winds and locally heavy rainfall are possible, and tropical storm watches have been issued for a portion of this area," it said.
At 500 AM AST (0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Jerry was located near latitude 16.0 North, longitude 53.2 West. Jerry is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h). A west- northwest motion at a slightly faster forward speed is expected over the next few days.
On the forecast track, the center of Jerry will be near or north of the northern Leeward Islands Friday and pass north of Puerto Rico on Saturday.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 70 mph (110 km/h) with higher gusts.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 995 mb (29.39 inches).
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16 Responses to “UPDATE: Hurricane Jerry weakens to Category 1 storm”
Weather wars, folks! They are real! No joke!
Prayer warriors, do your thing!
The country is now at a standstill with a lot of private businesses unable to function fully as they may rely on certain government offices for services.
well public servants do have a blessed day and as one blogger ( No Weather) said, "they will be spending it at the beach".