75.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsLocal newsTropical Depression Intensifying But Not Expected to Impact USVI

Tropical Depression Intensifying But Not Expected to Impact USVI

Tropical Depression 18 is expected to intensify but miss the U.S. Virgin Islands. (National Hurricane Center graphic)

The National Hurricane Center has initiated advisories on the eighteenth tropical weather system of the 2021 hurricane season but so far it is forecast to miss the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tropical Depression Eighteen formed out of a tropical wave that has gradually become better organized Thursday.

At 5 p.m. the center was estimated near 10.1 degrees North, 33.9 degrees West, moving to the west at 15 miles per hour with top winds of 35 miles per hour. Additional intensification is expected and the depression could become a tropical storm by Friday and a hurricane by the weekend. The track to the west should continue before the depression assumes a more west-northwest path on Friday.

While earlier model runs have projected storm or hurricane conditions close to the territory by the end of next week, the projections associated with the Hurricane Center’s first advisory on Tropical Depression Eighteen is forecasting a storm that passes more to the north, north-northeast or even east of the Virgin Islands late next week. There is the better part of five or six days to monitor this developing weather system and its potential effect on the Virgin Islands and the northern Leeward Islands.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.