DDME Advises
For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Potential
Tropical Cyclone Six, located southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...high...80 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...high...90 percent.
1. A tropical wave located over the north-central Caribbean Sea is producing a large area of cloudiness and thunderstorms extending
from Hispaniola northeastward across the northeastern Caribbean Seaand adjacent Atlantic waters. This activity is forecast to spreadwestward to west-northwestward, but strong upper-level winds areexpected to prevent any significant development of this system during the next several days. Environmental conditions could become
more conducive when the system reaches the eastern Gulf of Mexico early next week.
Regardless of development, this system could
produce enhanced rainfall across portions of Hispaniola, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos, and Florida into early next week.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...10 percent.
BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THURSDAY 30TH AUGUST 2018
GENERAL SITUATION: AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH COUPLED WITH A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS CONTINUES TO ENHANCE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY ACROSS THE ISLANDS.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY AND BEACHGOERS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO ROUGH SURF AND THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG EAST COAST BEACHES.
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: VARIABLE COUDINESS, HOT AND HUMID WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 92°F 33°C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE 79°F 26°C
HEAT INDEX 105°F 40°C
SUNRISE: 6:50AM
SUNSET: 7:29PM
MOONSET: 10:19AM
MOONRISE: 10:21PM
HIGH TIDE: 10:02AM 10:17PM
LOW TIDE: 4:16PM 4:33AM FRI
EXTENDED FORECAST: THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MEANDER ACROSS THE BAHAMAS OVER THE NEXT FEW BAHAMAS WHILE A TROPICAL WAVE APPROACHES THE BAHAMAS MAINTAINING UNSTABLE CONDITIONS.
DDME host two day Damage Assessment Training on Grand Turk
DDME host two day Damage Assessment Training on Grand Turk.
Day 1 - Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis Training.
Ms. Rikardia Pardo-Deputy Director, brings welcome remarks.
Dr. Virginia Clerveaux-Director, presents on Comprehensive Disaster Management and the Disaster Management Cycle.
TCIG HOSTS QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE WATERSPORTS INDUSTRY
The Department of Maritime and Shipping in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) held two meetings with stakeholders of the water sports industry, on the islands of Grand Turk and Providenciales respectively.
The meeting provided an opportunity for both the regulators and users of the marine space to come together and discuss the various issues and challenges of the water sports industry. The discussions during the meetings encouraged a mutual platform for all parties present to raise their concerns, with the aim of developing solutions to the issues and challenges raised.
The meeting in Providenciales was attended by over 30 persons from various stakeholder groups, including dive operators, tour operators and beach vendors.
The main issues raised during the meetings included:
• Provision of and clear demarcation for access to ramps, beach and boat access lanes
• Water sports operators navigating dangerously
• Dangerous operation of jet skis
• Improper disposal of conch shells on the beach by operators
• Captains anchoring vessels on the reef
• Maintenance to swim and dive moorings
The meetings concluded with the understanding that there will be quarterly meetings held on both islands to ensure that concerns of the government and the private sector are being addressed effectively and in a timely manner. The next round of meetings is scheduled for November 2018, with specific dates to be announced in October 2018.
The Government would like to thank everyone who attended for their cooperation, and would like to encourage stakeholders to attend future sessions as we work together to develop and sustain the Turks and Caicos Islands’ Beautiful by Nature tourism product.
Figure 1: Participants at stakeholder group meeting in Providenciales
Figure 2: Participants at stakeholder group meeting in Grand Turk
Aretha Franklin's family being 'guided by God' to honor her
Sabrina Owens started to consider how to bid her beloved aunt Aretha Franklin farewell before the world even knew the legendary singer was ill.
St Kitts-Nevis minister’s son shot to death
A son of St Kitts and Nevis minister of public infrastructure, posts, urban development and transport, Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd, was killed by gunfire on Monday night.
According to reports, Mickail ‘Mitch’ Liburd was ambushed by at least three armed and masked men shortly after 10 pm as he got out of his car. The young Liburd was reportedly shot several times.
On behalf of the government and people of St Kitts and Nevis, Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris extended deepest sympathy to his Cabinet colleague.
In his capacity as minister of national security, Harris encouraged the people of St Kitts and Nevis to provide any information relevant to the investigation of the fatal shooting.
The St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) candidate for St Christopher 1 (East Basseterre), Dr Geoffrey Hanley, also expressed sympathy to the parliamentary representative and his opponent in the next general elections.
Liburd’s murder takes the number of persons killed for this year to 20.
Ford Pushes Next-Gen Mustang Launch To 2021
All-wheel drive and a hybrid powertrain are still on the docket.
Ford is dropping nearly every car from its lineup beginning in 2019. The Fiesta and Focus will be the first to go, and only the Focus Active and Mustang will remain. But when the last sedan – the Fusion – shuffles off sometime in 2020 or 2021, the Blue Oval will debut an all-new version of its iconic pony car that same year. And it promises to offer more than the current model.
According to Automotive News, the new Mustang won't arrive until 2021. That's a year later than Ford had initially promised. When it does show up, it will ride on one of Ford's five new modular platforms. That means it should share some components with the new Explorer and upcoming Lincoln Aviator.
Though it will retain its rear-drive bias, Ford could offer an all-wheel-drive version of the Mustang for the first time ever. It would compete directly with cars like the Dodge Challenger GT. There have also been reports of a hybrid model, too, which is scheduled to show up sometime shortly after the pure gas-powered model in 2021.
"Mustang is still going to be a strong, well-proportioned vehicle," Chief Designer Darrell Behmer said in an interview with Automotive News. "The modular architectures will still give us flexibility; it's not going to bastardize Mustang."
But the Mustang's DNA won't be limited to one vehicle. The rest of the range could have pony car-inspired cues. Ford has already confirmed an all-electric SUV dubbed the Mach 1, which will draw inspiration from the iconic Mustang – even the new Explorer appears to adopt a more aggressive look.
Odell Beckham, Jr. becomes the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL
The New York Giants called it a "lucrative contract extension" and "generational money." After signing on the dotted line, Odell Beckham, Jr. described it as "such an amazing feeling."
Facebook Watch video service launches worldwide
Facebook's Watch video-streaming service is rolling out worldwide, just over a year after its US launch.
Users will be able to choose from a range of shows - from both established brands and new players - and have the ability to view clips saved from their News Feeds.
The firm plans to allow all content creators to feature advertising breaks, so long as they hit certain metrics.
Until now, only select publishers had been given the opportunity.
To begin with, only videos shown to audiences in the UK, US, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand will have this facility.
The revenue split will be 55% to the creators and 45% to Facebook.
Facebook had intended to reveal the roll-out on Wednesday, but brought forward the announcement after details leaked. As a consequence, some users may not be able to access its pages yet.
US economic growth revised up to 4.2% for the second quarter
The US economy grew at a faster pace than initially thought in the second quarter, according to revised figures.
The Commerce Department's second estimate for the April-June period put growth at an annualised 4.2%, slightly up from the previous figure of 4.1%.
It was the best quarterly figure for nearly four years and put the economy on track to hit the Trump government's goal of 3% annual growth.
The news helped send Wall Street share markets higher.
Many economists had forecast a downward revision of growth to about 4%.
On a non-annualised basis, the economy grew 1% during the quarter. During the same period, the UK economy grew 0.4%.
The upward revision reflected more business spending on software than previously estimated and less imports of oil. Growth was driven by one-off factors such as a $1.5 trillion tax cut package, which helped boost consumer spending.
The new estimate was based on a more complete set of data than previously available and will be revised again next month.
US defence spending rose 6% in the quarter, the biggest increase in nine years. But there was also downward revisions to consumer spending and construction.