DATE ISSUED: Thursday, August 31, 2017 @ 12:00 LST (16:00 UTC)
VALID UNTIL: Friday midday (12:00 LST) September 01, 2017
WEATHER:
This afternoon through Friday midday: Generally fair to partly cloudy with light haze.
Forecast High: 32°C / 90°F Forecast Low: 28°C / 82°F
Sunset Today: 6:27 P.M. Sunrise Tomorrow: 5:58 A.M.
SURFACE WINDS:
This afternoon through Friday midday: Northeast to east with a gentle to moderate breeze of 08 to 14 miles per hour.
SYNOPSIS:
The dominant Atlantic high pressure system continues to support a dry and stable atmosphere across the northeastern Caribbean. As a result, generally fair conditions will persist during this forecast period. Additionally, winds will remain gentle to moderate.
Seas are expected to remain slight to moderate and peak near 5 feet for the next few days.
STATE OF THE SEA: Slight to Moderate WAVES/SWELLS: up to 5 feet
SPECIAL FEATURE:
At 11:00 am Tropical Storm Irma was upgraded to a Category 2 Hurricane. At that time the center of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 16.9 North, longitude 33.8 West. That is about 1705 miles east of St. Maarten. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph. This general motion is forecast through early Friday, followed by a generally westward motion on Saturday.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 100 mph (155 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is forecast to become a major hurricane by tonight and is expected to be an extremely dangerous hurricane for the next several days. The Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS) will continue to monitor the progress of Irma and keep you updated. Members of the public are advised to monitor the updates on this system.
OUTLOOK through Saturday midday: Mostly fair to partly cloudy with light haze and brief local showers possible.
FORECASTER: Gordon
