Gonzalo set to pass just south of Barbados ‘a hurricane’

Tropical storm Gonzalo now threatens to pass just to the south of the island as a category one hurricane sometime Saturday, forecasters said – mere hours after it was originally expected to put Barbados on tropical storm watch late Wednesday.

The swift development of the system – one of the earliest named storms on record –  prompted Prime Minister Mia Mottley to urge residents to rush preparations and monitor reports ahead of the cyclone’s likely onslaught.

Weather-watchers will be particularly concerned about the would-be hurricane’s track which, if it remains just to the south, exposes the island to the system’s northeast quadrant, the most powerful and wettest part of a hurricane.

The 11 p.m. Wednesday advisory said: “Sustained storm-force winds are expected to spread across Barbados early Saturday … increasing to hurricane force by Saturday afternoon, during which time, sustained winds 50 to 75 miles per hour (80 to 120 km/h) with higher gusts are expected to affect the island.”

But while predictions for the system’s intensity are “very problematic and of low confidence”, conditions in and around the cyclone, including “warm sea surface temperatures suggest strengthening, possibly even rapidly, should occur”.

Apart from disrupting flights this weekend, weather forecasts warned: “During the passage of Tropical Storm Gonzalo, expect tumbling and rolling of unsecured objects (inflatable structures, tents and garbage cans). Some injury and danger to life is possible from flying debris. Tropical Storm Gonzalo is also expected to generate rough to very rough sea swells and flash-flooding.”

At 11:00 Wednesday night, Gonzalo was located near latitude 9.9 degrees north , longitude 45.9 degrees west or about 945 miles (1522 kilometres) east of Barbados. Gonzalo is packing winds of 60 miles per hour (95 km/h), as it moves westward at 12 miles per hour (19 km/h).

In an address to the nation this evening, Prime Minister Mottley urged Barbadians to prepare themselves and to be “near your radios because as early as tomorrow morning Cabinet which meets for its regular session on Thursday will instead be convened to “look immediately at the issue of the oncoming Tropical Storm”.

She said: “I’m happy that the Ministry of Public Works and other ministries spent the day today literally doing the assessments and making adjustments such that when we meet with them tomorrow morning, we will be in a position to take any further decisions that have to be done.

“But in every house, in every house, we know what to do”: be prepared rather than be sorry. And I ask you, therefore, without panic, to be able to ensure that you are ready for this storm because no storm is a good storm.

“With those words, my friends, I ask you to help us continue to pray for our country. May Almighty God continue to bless Barbados.”

Earlier in the day, Director of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), Kerry Hinds, urged residents to finalise preparations over the next few days ahead of the system.

But Hinds said that despite the approach of the system, COVID-19 protocols were still in place, and warned residents to expect delays when conducting business for their storm preparations.

Hinds said: “We must remember that we must observe the physical distancing protocols which may result in reduced numbers being allowed in some institutions at one time.

“In addition, persons conducting business will still be required to undergo temperature checks, sanitising of hands, and have their names registered at some establishments, all of which are likely to be time-consuming.”

She urged residents to monitor Gonzalo’s approach and ensure that they implement emergency plans for their families and businesses early.

Just before 9 a.m. Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami upgraded Tropical Depression Seven to Tropical Storm Gonzalo – the seventh named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. It is the earliest seventh named storm on record, breaking the previous record held by Tropical Storm Gert which formed on July 24, 2005. sandydeane@barbadostoday.bb