Barbados braces for tropical storm Gonzalo’s landfall
Caribbean now on hurricane alert
Moving across the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Gonzalo continues to make a fixed approach towards the Caribbean as stated in a report by the Associated Press.
According to the National Hurricane Center’s recent update, Gonzalo was moving 14 mph (22 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph). It was spotted about 645 miles (1,040 kilometers) east of the southern Windward Islands.
Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have been issued a hurricane watch while a tropical storm warning is in effect for numerous places, such as St. Lucia, Tobago and Grenada. Weather forecasters stated that Gonzalo could bring 2 to 5 inches (5 to 13 centimeters) of rain.
Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, has urged Barbadians to prepare for Tropical Storm Gonzalo, which is expected to make landfall in the country early Saturday.
In a press conference last Wednesday, she tells the press, “I’m happy that the Ministry of Public Works and other Ministries spent the day literally doing the assessments and making adjustments [in preparation for Gonzalo].”
“But in every house, we know what – 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,” Mottley further states.
The Hurricane Center further stated that those in the Windward Islands should monitor the storm as its approach is expected to reach the islands late Friday and Saturday. With forecasts revealing chances that Gonzalo could further strengthen and potentially become a hurricane, the storm is expected to later subside as it moves into the Caribbean Sea. If conditions permit it, Gonzalo could be the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2020 season.
Tropical Storm Gonzalo broke records, as it became the Atlantic’s earliest ‘G’-named storm. The previous title was held by Tropical Storm Gert, which formed on July 24, 2005. Up until this moment, Tropical Storms Cristobal, Danielle, Edouard and Fay also made history for being the earliest named Atlantic storm for their alphabetic order.