MET OFFICE ADVISES RESIDENTS TO MONITOR STRENGTHENING TROPICAL DISTURBANCE; ALTERED TRACK COULD BRING STORM DANGEROUSLY CLOSE

The MET Office is closely following the progress of Tropical Disturbance AL97, which has the potential to develop into a tropical cyclone in 48 hours and arrive here between Friday and Saturday as a strong tropical storm or hurricane.

In a statement released this afternoon, the MET Office advises residents to prepare their hurricane-disaster plans as they monitor the system closely.

On its forecast track, the system will most likely pass through the Windward Islands.  However, any persistent west-northwest track could bring it dangerously close to Antigua and Barbuda and the northeast Caribbean.

The Met Office acknowledges that there is still a great deal of uncertainty and a lot of time for unexpected changes to take place.

There are no alerts, watches or warnings are in effect at this time.   However, residents should note that this could change in the next 24 hours.