Caribbean Net News: Chris skirts Leeward Islands, Bahamas issues hurricane watch

MIAMI, USA (Reuters): The Bahamas on Wednesday issued a hurricane watch for the Turks and Caicos islands and for the southeastern Bahamas as Tropical Storm Chris neared hurricane strength in the Caribbean, the US National Hurricane Center said.

This 2 August 2006 satellite image provided
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration(NOAA), shows Tropical Storm
Chris as it strenghens towards the eastern
Caribbean at 10:15 AM EDT 2 August, 2006.
AFP PHOTO/NOAA

The third tropical storm of the Atlantic season strengthened as it skirted the Caribbean's northern Leeward Islands on Wednesday and could become the year's first hurricane headed for the Gulf of Mexico later this week.

Tropical storm warnings were up for some of the small northeastern Caribbean islands, the US territory of Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands.

Tropical Storm Chris' maximum sustained winds strengthened to 65 miles per hour (105 kph), from 60 mph (97 mph) earlier in the day, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The hurricane center said Chris could strengthen into a hurricane later on Wednesday as it traveled on a path that could take it into the Gulf of Mexico, where it could damage US oil and gas facilities. It would become a hurricane if its sustained winds reach 74 mph (119 kph).

The waters of the Gulf are particularly warm, as they were last year when they helped Hurricanes Katrina and Rita grow into monster storms that eventually slammed into the Louisiana and Texas coastlines. Warm water fuels hurricanes.

Chris was 65 miles (105 km) north of St Martin and moving west-northwest at 10 mph (17 kph). On that track, Chris' center would stay north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Wednesday but the storm could drench the northeastern Caribbean islands with 5 to 8 inches (13 to 20 cm) of rain.

A tropical storm warning, telling residents to expect storm conditions within 24 hours, was up for Anguilla, St. Barthelemy, St Martin and St Maarten, Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands.

Forecasters have predicted up to 17 tropical storms and hurricanes this year. Last year saw a record 28, including Katrina, the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. It devastated New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast and killed more than 1,300 people.

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