Met Service Monitors Developing Weather System in Caribbean Sea

The National Meteorological Service is keeping a close eye on a low pressure system that has developed just off the coast of South America, in the eastern Caribbean Sea.  While it poses no immediate threat to Belize, there is a likelihood that its path through Nicaragua and Honduras, should it gain strength in the days ahead, can result in torrential rains for the country.  Forecasters are relying on a European tracking model to determine the direction of the weather system.  This afternoon, Chief Met Officer Ronald Gordon provided the latest update on the developing conditions.

Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorological Officer

Ronald Gordon

“Of course, we are monitoring this broad area of low pressure that is currently over the eastern Caribbean Sea or entering the eastern Caribbean Sea.  The system remains disorganized and there was a second hurricane reconnaissance mission this afternoon or this morning and they did not find a well-defined center of circulation.  So the system is currently disorganized and it is being impacted by relatively strong upper level winds, creating what we call wind share and also interaction because it’s close to the landmass of South America.  So, it is not a tropical depression, it is not a tropical cyclone at the moment.  It is a broad area of low pressure moving westward at about fifteen miles per hour.  In terms of the projection, most of the models are indicating that the system, once it moves away from the coast of South America into the southwestern Caribbean Sea where there is more ocean or it has more real estate, so to speak, to develop, there is the potential for it to develop and become a tropical storm.  That’s within about two to three days.  And after that, where it goes is still relatively uncertain, however, one of the most reliable models which is the European model is indicating that the system will move towards Nicaragua and possibly Honduras, but again, it’s a bit far out so we of course will be monitoring it closely to see if it takes that track.”