Tropical Storm Gonzalo Could Become Hurricane by Thursday

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Tropical Storm Gonzalo is strengthening as it makes it way across the southern Windward Islands and could become a hurricane by Thursday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) has announced.

In its 11.00 am bulleting, the NHC said that the storm, which is packing maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour (mph), was located 1,935 miles, east of the southern Windward Islands with a forward movement of 14 mph.

“A general westward motion at a faster forward speed is expected during the next few days. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 50 mph with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Gonzalo is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday.

“Gonzalo is a small tropical cyclone, as tropical-storm-force winds extend outward only up to 25 miles from the center,” the NHC said..

It said while there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, interests in the Windward Islands – Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines -should monitor the progress of the system.

CMC