A
woman uses a poncho to keep dry as she walks through rain caused by Tropical
Strom Gustav in Port-au-Prince, Monday, Aug. 25,2008. Haitians were told to
prepare for evacuations as Tropical Storm Gustav formed quickly Monday in
the Caribbean on a path to hit as a hurricane the country's denuded southern
coast before moving on to Cuba, the Bahamas and Florida. (Ariana Cubillos/AP
Photo)
friday 29, August 2008 he made already 85 death in the Caribbean. Cuba and
Louisiana are preparing ... Already category 3 with 185 km/hour
found at bestsyndication.com
August 27, 2008
As Gustav approaches the Gulf of Mexico, tropical storms and depressions
are lined up across the Atlantic Ocean (see videos and maps below). As of 2 AM
EDT, Gustav has slowed to tropical storm speeds and is sitting right on top of
Jamaica. The National Weather Service expects the storm to turn into a
Hurricane somewhere in between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
Gustav General Information
Gustav is moving slowly across Jamaica with tropical storm force winds. The
storm is located off the southwest corner of the island at 18.1 north and 78.1
west, or about 60 miles west of Kingston Jamaica. Although Haiti can expect
another 1 to 2 inches of rain, the storm is expected to diminish overnight
(see video below).
Gustav is traveling at about 8 mph with tropical storm winds extending out 45
miles from the center. Wind speeds are expected to increase and the storm will
likely become a hurricane by Friday night or Saturday. The storm is expected to
drop 6 to 12 inches of rain, with some areas receiving as much as 24 inches.
Jamaica
Yesterday the center of the storm was expected to travel in between Jamaica
and Cuba, but today it decided to shift slightly south slamming directly into
the island of Jamaica. The good news is that the wind speeds have slowed
slightly over the land. The bad news is that the speeds are still in excess of
65 mph with gusts of 100 mph.
The hurricane watch for Jamaica is still in effect. The Hurricane Center in
Miami reports that the heavy rain will create life threatening floods and mud
slides. A storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is hitting the island. Gustav will remain
over Jamaica for the next few hours before entering the Caribbean Sea.
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands are next in line for Gustov. The center of the storm
should be right over the islands by Friday at 8 pm EDT. Right now the storm is
255 miles east southeast of the islands.
The storm track is in the west northwesterly direction. The weather service
believes the storm will become a hurricane either Friday or Saturday. There is a
hurricane warning for the islands. This means you can expect hurricane
conditions within the next 24 hours.
Cuba
The center of Gustav will likely hit the very western tip of Cuba around 8 pm
on Saturday. The recent jaunt to the south pushed the storm track a little to
the west, but it is still expected to hit the tip before making its way into the
Gulf of Mexico.
There is a hurricane watch for the tip of Cuba. This means the area can
expect a hurricane within the next 36 hours. Gustav is expected to gain some
power over the Caribbean before it strikes. The weather service expects the
storm to drop 2 to 4 inches of rain on Cuba.
Gulf of Mexico
The further out in time we go, the path of Gustav is harder to predict. The
storm will hit the gulf late on Saturday. The southerly track has pushed the
projected path to the west of New Orleans. Although the storm is expected to hit
Louisiana, it could hit Texas, Louisiana or the Panhandle of Florida.
After the storm passes Cuba it is expected to pick up steam again. It will be
in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico through Sunday and by Monday morning the
forecasters will have a better grasp of where it will hit land. The center of
the storm is expected to strike land by 8 pm Tuesday and possibly late Monday
night.
By Mark Williams
Best Syndication News Science Writer
Raw Video: Hurricane Gustav Roars Over Haiti
Hurricane Gustav Nears, Is New Orleans Ready?
Gustav Gaining Strength
