Here we go again
After so many storms, fires and other traumatic experiences this year, it wasn’t exactly good news when tropical storm Chantal was spotted on Sunday.
Forming in the Atlantic, the storm is currently running at 26 mph (41 kph) and has a maximum estimated speed of 45 mph (72 kph) today. Chantal is racing towards the Caribbean, likely to gain speed. Currently Chantal’s position is located 470 miles (756 kilometers) east-southeast of Barbados.
While most storms form in a month from now, Chantal is breaking the odds and is ahead of the usual hurricane season. This hurricane will be the third of the 2013 hurricane season.
After its birth from an easterly-aimed wave off of the coast of Africa on July 3, the National Hurricane Center 5-day forecast puts Chantal on a path to the Caribbean, entering within the sea’s boundaries on Tuesday. Wednesday it will be coming close to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, Thursday brushing eastern Cuba and possibly the southern Bahamas and Friday the northern Bahamas and southern Florida.
There is some uncertainty when it comes to the storm because of the run-in that it will have with the Cuban mountains. Because of their presence the storm could either re-organize itself and continue raging on, or dissipate and become less intense.
For those who may be affected by the storm, I’d suggest staying inside or getting somewhere safe to evade this potential threat.
