Met Office: ‘Stay on high alert’

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Barbados Today

The Barbados Meteorological Services is advising Barbadians to be on high alert as it continues to monitor a weather system.

In its 6 a.m. advisory, the BMS said: “depending on where the system consolidates its centre, a warning may be issued for Barbados at short notice.”

The system is located near 12.5N 52W. This is about 825 km or 510 miles east of Barbados and is moving westward near 20 to 25 mph.

The BMS also said, “There has been a considerable shift in the forecast track to the south of the previous 6 p.m. statement and this is primarily due to the centre being re-initialised farther south. Given that the forecast track has shifted south of what was previously forecasted, and there is currently good agreement on the feature passing just north of Barbados between late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, it is highly advisable that all Barbadians closely monitor the progress of this system.”

“As the system maintains its westward motion, some slow but gradual development is expected and a tropical depression or tropical storm is likely to develop over the next 12 to 24 hours.” the statement added.

There are presently no watches or warnings in effect for Barbados, however some moderate to heavy showers and occasional gusty winds could move across Barbados this afternoon and into Wednesday. The next update will be at 6 p.m. or sooner if conditions warrant.