…EYE OF FIONA NEARING THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC…
…HEAVY RAINFALL AND CATASTROPHIC FLOODING CONTINUES ACROSS MUCH OF PUERTO RICO…
A HURRICANE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS. INCLUDED ARE THE ISLANDS OF INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, SAMANA CAY, LONG CAY AND RAGGED ISLAND.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS COULD BE EXPERIENCED IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.
AT 11 PM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FIONA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.0 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 68.1 DEGREES WEST, OR ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF PUNTA CANA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, OR 310 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF COCKBURN TOWN, GRAND TURK, OR 410 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN INAGUA, OR 765 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW PROVIDENCE.
FIONA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH. A NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS FORECAST TO BEGIN OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST ON TUESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF FIONA WILL MOVE OVER THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TONIGHT AND MONDAY, AND NEAR OR TO THE EAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ON TUESDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 85 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 30 MILES FROM THE CENTER AND TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES FROM THE CENTER.
HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING ON PORTIONS OF PUERTO RICO, AND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE UNTIL MONDAY MORNING. HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN AND NORTHERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC LATER TONIGHT AND MONDAY, AND IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ON TUESDAY.
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS BY EARLY TUESDAY.
ON THE FORECAST TRACK, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT FIONA WILL PASS EAST OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE 3 TO 6 INCHES OVER THE ISLANDS.
RESIDENTS IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD COMPLETE THEIR PREPARATIONS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF HURRICANE CONDITIONS AND RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS SHOULD ALSO FINALIZED THEIR PREPRATIONS FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS BEGINNING EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. THIS INCLUDES HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS RESPECTIVELY, HEAVY RAINFALL, LOCALIZED FLOODING AND OVERTOPPING OF WAVES ALONG ATLANTIC EXPOSED SHORELINES.
SWELLS GENERATED BY FIONA ARE AFFECTING THE NORTHERN COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, AND THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS. BEACHGOERS ARE TO REFRAIN FROM ENTERING THE WATERS AS LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE. SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN IN PORT.
THE NEXT ALERT ON HURRICANE FIONA WILL BE ISSUED AT 3 AM EDT MONDAY, 19TH SEPTEMBER, 2022.
