ALERT #12 ON HURRICANE IRMA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CORE OF CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE IRMA PASSING OVER THE NORTHERN MOST VIRGIN ISLANDS… A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF MAYAGUANA, INAGUA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS CAN AFFECT THE AFOREMENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A HURRICANE WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE AFOREMENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 48 HOURS

A HURRICANE ALERT IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. THIS INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO. A HURRICANE ALERT MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD AFFECT THE AFOREMENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 60 HOURS.

AT 2PM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.5 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 64.7 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 20 MILES EAST- NORTHEAST OF ST THOMAS, 469 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, 584 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA AND 932 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.

HURRICANE IRMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST AT ABOUT 16 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CORE OF IRMA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER PORTIONS OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS, IRMA WILL THEN PASS NEAR OR JUST NORTH OF PUERTO RICO THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT AND NEAR THE TURKS AND CAICOS AND THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS LATE THURSDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 185 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRMA IS A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO, BUT IRMA IS FORECAST TO REMAIN A POWERFUL CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE HURRICANE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 185 MILES FROM THE CENTER. EVACUATION IS IN PROCESS FOR RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS NAMELY: INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, LONG CAY, SAMANA CAY AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

RESIDENTS IN LONG ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, RUM CAY, SAN SALVADOR AND THE EXUMAS SHOULD RUSH TO COMPLETE ALL HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS AS HURRICANE IRMA WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THESE ISLANDS FRIDAY MORNING.

RESIDENTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS INCLUSIVE OF ELEUTHERA, NEW PROVIDENCE, ANDROS, THE BERRY ISLANDS, BIMINI, GRAND BAHAMA AND ABACO SHOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE PREPARATIONS AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL ALERTS ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY.

EXTENSIVE TO SEVERE FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED AS IRMA IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES. THE COMBINATION OF DANGEROUS STORM SURGE AND LARGE DESTRUCTIVE WAVES CAN RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 15 TO 20 FEET ABOVE THE NORMAL TIDE. RESIDENTS LIVING NEAR THE COAST ARE ASKED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND INLAND.

SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD IMMEDIATELY SEEK SAFE HARBOUR FOR THEIR VESSELS.

THE NEXT ALERT ON HURRICANE IRMA WILL BE ISSUED AT 6PM EDT ON WEDNESDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER 2017

ISSUED BY BASIL DEAN