1. The tropical depression is expected to become a tropical storm before reaching the Lesser Antilles and tropical storm conditions are expected beginning late Thursday night in portions of the Windward and southern Leeward Islands.

2. Heavy rainfall will move quickly across the Windward and southern Leeward Islands, including Barbados, on Friday. Isolated flash flooding and mudslides are possible.

3. There is a risk of wind and rainfall impacts in portions of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Cuba, the Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas through early next week. Interests in these areas should monitor the system's progress and updates to the forecast.

4. Interests in Florida should monitor updates to the forecast for this system, but it is too soon to determine what if any impacts could occur there next week given the uncertainty in the long-range forecast.

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY: The government of Barbados has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for Barbados. The government of France has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for Martinique. The government of St. Lucia has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for St. Lucia. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
- Barbados
- Martinique
- St. Lucia A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for...
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Guadeloupe A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours. Interests elsewhere in the Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti should monitor the progress of this system. Warnings and additional watches will likely be required tonight and on Thursday. For storm information specific to your area, please monitor products issued by your national meteorological service.

Key messages for Potential Tropical Cyclone Five can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT5, WMO header WTNT45 KNHC and on the web at www.hurricanes.gov/graphics_at5.shtml?key_messages.

WIND: Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of the Windward and southern Leeward Islands within the warning area beginning late Thursday night into Friday. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area beginning late Thursday night into Friday.

RAINFALL: The system will produce rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches with maximum totals of 8 inches on Friday across the Windward and southern Leeward Islands, including Barbados. This rain may produce isolated flash flooding and mudslides.

At 1100 PM AST (0300 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Five was located near latitude 9.6 North, longitude 46.3 West. The depression is moving toward the west near 23 mph (37 km/h). An even faster motion to the west northwest is expected over the next 24 to 36 hours. On the forecast track, the system will pass near or over portions of the Windward Islands or the southern Leeward Islands on Friday, move into the eastern Caribbean Sea late Friday and Friday night, and move near the southern coast of Hispaniola on Saturday. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast and the tropical depression is expected to become a tropical storm early Thursday.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1008 mb (29.77 inches).

The satellite presentation of the system over the last 6-12 hours has continued to gradually improve, with a prominent banding feature to the west of the estimated center. An ASCAT-A pass received at 2323 UTC revealed that the low-level circulation has become a bit better defined compared to earlier today, though still somewhat elongated to the south and west. The peak wind retrievals from this instrument were 30-32 kt. While subjective satellite estimates from TAFB and SAB were a bit higher, the latest estimated intensity was held at 30 kt for this advisory in agreement with the slightly lower scatterometer data.

The initial motion has accelerated a bit tonight at 280/20 kt. A strong subtropical ridge is situated poleward of the tropical depression and this feature should steer the system quickly to the west-northwest over the next several days. After 72 hours, the tropical cyclone will reach the westward extent of the ridge and begin to move more poleward and slow down as the ridge also becomes eroded by a mid-latitude trough to over the eastern US. The track guidance in the latter portion of the forecast continues to exhibit large spread, with the GFS and HWRF/HMON models along the left side of the guidance envelop, while the ECMWF and its ensemble mean on the right side. The latest NHC track forecast is a shade right of the previous one, and also slightly faster, but given the spread in the models, the latter portion of the track is more uncertain than usual.

While the depression is currently in a favorable environment of low vertical wind shear, warm sea-surface temperatures, and high mid-level relative humidity, the expected acceleration in forward motion could cause the system to outrun the favorable upper-level easterlies currently overhead, after 36 hours. In addition, the system could be near or over some of the Greater Antilles in the latter portions of the forecast. For these reasons, the intensity remained capped at 50 kt after 36 hours, and is still on the lower end of the intensity guidance suite, though this forecast could be somewhat conservative.