Met Office: Tropical Storm Maria takes form

The Met Office has cautioned that a tropical depression off of the Lesser Antilles could trigger moderate to heavy rains in Trinidad and Tobago.

However, the country is not under any tropical cyclone threat, watch or warning.

In a bulletin yesterday, the Met Office reported that as at 5 pm Tropical Depression 15 had been upgraded to Tropical Storm Maria. The system is centred near 12.3N and 52.6W which is approximately 1000 km east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles and is moving westward at approximately 31 km/h.

A slower west-northwest motion was expected during the next couple of days and maximum sustained winds were near 85 km/h with higher gusts. The Met Office said that strengthening was expected during the next 48 hours and Maria was forecast to become a hurricane when it approached the Leeward Islands in the coming days.

The system is expected to approach the Leeward Islands tomorrow and a tropical storm watch is in effect for St Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Met Office said the system can trigger moderate to heavy rainfall from tonight into tomorrow, across the Windward Islands, including TT and asked people with interests in the Lesser Antilles should pay close attention to information being issued by them by visiting their website at www.metoffice.gov.tt, downloading their mobile app (search: TT Met Office) and following them on Facebook and Twitter.

Also yesterday, Tropical Storm Lee formed in the eastern Atlantic with sustained winds of 65 kph. The storm was about 1,160 kilometres west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands and posed no immediate threat to land.

The Met Office took the opportunity to remind citizens of the rainy season advising that adequate preparations must be made to preserve life and property against adverse weather conditions.