KINGSTOWN (Reuters) – Hurricane Tammy is expected to hurl strong rains and winds across parts of the eastern Caribbean late Friday and through the weekend, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a latest bulletin, as residents under warning areas began preparations.
The Category 1 storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kmph), the NHC said, as it moves northwest at 7 mph (11 kmh) from a spot some 165 miles (265 km) east-southeast of the French territory of Martinique.
“Heavy rainfall and flooding likely over much of the Lesser Antilles,” it said, predicting that the storm’s center will be over parts of the Leeward Islands tonight and Saturday before churning further north on Sunday.
Tammy could hurl up to 12 inches (30 cm) of rain on parts of the Leeward Islands, the NHC warned, and as much as 6 inches across northern regions of the Windward Islands, while a storm surge could bring large, dangerous waves and strong currents.
Authorities in Guadeloupe urged residents to finish their preparations, limit their movements and be aware of available shelters, while neighboring Dominica said schools would close on Friday though ports and airports would remain open for now.
(Reporting by Robertson Henry in Kingstown, Sarah Morland in Mexico City and Harshit Verma in Bengaluru; editing by Diane Craft)
