Jamaicans should prepare for increased rainfall, thunderstorms, cloudiness, and strong gusty winds over this weekend, starting Saturday afternoon, as the island anticipates Tropical Depression Nine.
The newly formed tropical depression prompted the country’s Meteorological Service to issue a severe weather alert on Wednesday, followed by a warning for fishermen to evacuate cays and banks on Thursday.
The Met Service reported on Friday, September 23, 2022, that at 4:00 a.m., the center of Tropical Depression Nine was situated near latitude 13.9 north, longitude 68.6 west.
“The depression is moving toward the west-northwest near 20 km/h. A turn more westward is forecast over the next day or so, followed by a turn back to the west-northwest and northwest by this weekend,” the Met Service stated.
It further said maximum sustained winds are near 34 miles per hour, with higher gusts. Over the next day or so, only slow intensification is expected, followed by more significant intensification over the weekend and early next week.
Below is the forecast for the next few days which was released at 5:00 a.m. on Friday.
24-hour forecast:
Friday morning: Mainly sunny.
Friday afternoon: Showers and thunderstorms mainly across hilly areas and southern parishes, partly cloudy elsewhere.
Friday night: Partly cloudy.
Maximum temperature expected for Kingston Friday: 90 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum temperature expected for Montego Bay Friday: 90 degrees Fahrenheit
3-day forecast (starting Saturday):
Saturday: Isolated morning showers across eastern and north-central parishes. Becoming mostly cloudy with scattered afternoon to evening showers, thunderstorms, and gusty winds across most parishes. Lingering night-time showers and thunderstorms.
Sunday: Cloudy with periods of scattered moderate to heavy showers, thunderstorms, and strong gusty winds across most parishes. Lingering night-time showers and thunderstorms.
Monday: Cloudy day with scattered showers and thunderstorms across sections of most parishes. Windy.
While the Meteorological Service continues to monitor Tropical Depression Nine’s progress, it is also keeping an eye on two other systems.
The center of Hurricane Fiona is passing northwest of Bermuda, and Tropical Storm Gaston is expected to turn southeastward today, with tropical storm conditions affecting the westernmost Azores Islands, according to the Met Service.
The Met Service reports that Tropical Storm Gaston and Hurricane Fiona pose no threat to Jamaica.
