The Tropical Storm Watch for Jamaica has been upgraded to a TROPICAL STORM WARNING, while a HURRICANE WATCH is now also in effect for the island as Hurricane Elsa barrels into the eastern Caribbean.
The Met Service says this means that tropical storm conditions, including possible sustained wind speeds of 63-118 km/h, are expected to affect Jamaica, while hurricane conditions also pose a possible threat to the island in 36 hours or less.
At 10:00 a.m. the centre of Hurricane Elsa was located near Latitude 13.4 degrees North, Longitude 61.2 degrees West, or about 1,680 kilometres east-southeast of Morant Point, Jamaica. This is also 10 kilometres north of St Vincent in the eastern Caribbean.
Elsa is moving quickly towards the west-northwest near 46 km/h and this general motion is expected to continue during the next couple of days.
According to the weather service, on its forecast track, the centre of Hurricane Elsa will continue to move over the eastern Caribbean today and through the central Caribbean, south of Hispaniola, on Saturday before passing just east and north of Jamaica on Sunday morning.
Heavy showers and thunderstorms, along with winds reaching tropical-storm force, could begin to impact eastern sections of Jamaica as early as Saturday night.
Dangerous sea conditions associated with the hurricane are expected to spread across the Caribbean over the next 24-36 hours.
