Tammy upgraded to hurricane

The US National Hurricane Centre has upgraded Tropical Storm Tammy to hurricane status.

In an advisory at 11 am on Friday, it said Tammy is expected to bring hurricane conditions to portions of the Leeward Islands late on Friday night and Saturday, with heavy rain and flooding likely over much of the Lesser Antilles.

The hurricane is at 14.1N 58.6W, or about 265 kilometres east southeast of Martinique and 385 kilometres southeast of Guadeloupe. There are maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour. The present movement is west northwest at 11 kilometres per hour.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Guadeloupe, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, and St Kitts and Nevis.

A hurricane watch is in effect for Anguilla, St Maarten and St Martin and St Barthelemy.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Dominica, Anguilla, St Maarten, St Martin and St Barthelemy, and Saba and St Eustatius

A tropical storm watch is in effect for Barbados and Martinique.

There are currently no alerts, watches or warnings in effect for Trinidad and Tobago.

TT’s Met Office, in a 5 am advisory on its website, said a turn toward the northwest is anticipated by Friday evening, followed by a north-northwestward and northward turn Saturday night through Sunday night. On the forecast track, the centre of Tammy will move near or over portions of the Leeward Islands on Friday and on Saturday, and then move north of the northern Leeward Islands on Sunday.