NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL STORM GONZALO ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE AT 6AM, THURSDAY 23RD JULY 2020.

…GONZALO STRENGTHENS AGAIN WHILE STILL HEADING WEST…

…EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE LATER TODAY…

AT 5AM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM GONZALO WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 10.0 NORTH, LONGITUDE 47.0 WEST, OR ABOUT 970 MILES EAST OF THE SOUTHERN WINDWARD ISLANDS.  GONZALO IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 12 MILES PER HOUR. A GENERAL WESTWARD MOTION AT A FASTER FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST ON SATURDAY.  ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF GONZALO WOULD APPROACH THE WINDWARD ISLANDS LATE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED NEAR 65 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. FURTHER STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, AND GONZALO IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE LATER TODAY.
THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 12PM.

PREPARED BY DUTY FORECASTER: K. WARD-FORBES
ISSUED: THURSDAY, 23RD JULY 2020 @ 5:45AM