V.I. residents who’ve grown weary of the name Irene can relax over the next several days. Although the latest tropical depression appears poised to form far out in the Atlantic, meteorologist Ernesto Morales at the National Weather Service in San Juan said it currently looks like the storm will take a northwest track, keeping it northeast of the Virgin Islands.
“But we have to watch it,” he said Monday afternoon.
Morales expects Tropical Depression 12 to become Tropical Storm Katia later Monday or Tuesday morning. The National Hurricane Center gave Tropical Depression 12 its number at the 5 a.m. Monday update.
If it doesn’t start a turn toward the northwest as it advances across the Atlantic, Morales said it could become a problem for the territory.
“If it continues westward, we’re going to get the tail of the system,” Morales said.
The National Hurricane Center indicated it expected the storm to start its turn to the north-northwest in the next 48 hours. As things currently stand, Morales said expects what is likely to be a Category 2 hurricane to track about 400 miles north of the territory in a week.
As of the 5 p.m. update, Tropical Depression 12 was centered at 10.2 degrees north latitude and 28.4 degrees west longitude or 415 miles southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands.
It was moving west at 14 mph. The wind speed was 35 mph. The barometric pressure stands at 1008 millibars.
The National Hurricane Center gave Tropical Depression 12 its number at the 5 a.m. update.
