NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL STORM ZETA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION, AT 12PM MONDAY, 26TH OCTOBER, 2020.
...HURRICANE CONDITIONS AND DANGEROUS STORM SURGE LIKELY OVER PORTIONS OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA BY LATE TODAY...
AT 11 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ZETA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 19.1° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 85.3° WEST OR ABOUT 140 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COZUMEL, MEXICO.
ZETA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH (17KM/H). A NORTHWESTWARD MOTION WITH SOME INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH TUESDAY NIGHT. A FASTER NORTHWARD TO NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD MOTION IS FORECAST ON WEDNESDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF ZETA WILL MOVE NEAR OR OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT, MOVE OVER THE SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO ON TUESDAY, AND APPROACH THE NORTHERN GULF COAST ON WEDNESDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 70 MPH (110 KM/H) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST, AND ZETA IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE LATER TODAY. SOME WEAKENING IS LIKELY WHILE ZETA MOVES OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY. ZETA IS FORECAST TO STRENGTHEN AGAIN WHILE IT MOVES OVER THE SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO LATER ON TUESDAY.
THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 6PM.
PREPARED BY DUTY FORECASTER: K. WRD-FORBES
ISSUED: MON. 26TH OCT., 2020 @ 12:00PM
