Jamaica expects strong winds and thunderstorms this weekend

Jamaicans should brace for increased rainfall, thunderstorms, cloudiness and strong gusty winds this weekend from Saturday afternoon as the island expects Tropical Depression Nine.

The newly formed tropical depression prompted the country’s weather service to issue a severe weather alert on Wednesday, followed by a warning for fishermen to evacuate bays and shores on Thursday.

The Met Service reported Friday, September 23, 2022 that the center of the Tropical Depression Nine was at 4:00 a.m. near latitude 13.9 north and longitude 68.6 west.

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“The low is moving west-northwest at about 20 km/h. A further turn west is forecast for the next day or so, followed by a turn back west-northwest and northwest this weekend,” the Met Service said.

It went on to say maximum sustained winds are near 34mph, with higher gusts. Only slow intensification is expected over the next day or so, followed by more significant intensification over the weekend and early next week.

Below is the forecast for the next few days, which was released on Friday at 5:00 am.

24-hour forecast:

Friday morning: Mainly sunny.

Friday afternoon: Showers and thunderstorms mainly over hilly areas and southern communities, otherwise partly cloudy.

Friday night: Partly cloudy.

Expected high temperature for Kingston Friday: 90 degrees Fahrenheit

Expected high temperature for Montego Bay Friday: 90 degrees Fahrenheit

3-day forecast (from Saturday):

Saturday: Patchy morning showers in east and north-central communities. Mostly cloudy with scattered afternoon to evening showers, thunderstorms and gusty winds in most communities. Overnight showers and thunderstorms.

Sunday: Cloudy with periods of scattered moderate to heavy showers, thunderstorms and strong gusty winds in most communities. Overnight showers and thunderstorms.

Monday: Overcast day with scattered showers and thunderstorms in parts of most communities. Windy.

As the Meteorological Service continues to monitor the progress of Tropical Depression Nine, it’s 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 southeast today, with tropical storm conditions affecting the westernmost Azores islands, the Met Service said.

The Met Service reports that Tropical Storm Gaston and Hurricane Fiona pose no threat to Jamaica.