By Kimone Francis Friday, September 30, 2016
The Meteorological Service last evening suggested that Hurricane Matthew will not spare the island as it moves into the central Caribbean after dumping heavy showers on eastern Caribbean countries and causing at least one death.
Met Service Director Evan Thompson made the projection at an emergency meeting with local officials called by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who said government services have been placed on high alert.
Yesterday, fishers on Jamaica’s cays and banks were advised to evacuate immediately and return to the mainland.
Other small craft operators in the island’s coastal waters were also told to return to port, while those in port were advised not to venture out.The hurricane, which at 4:00 pm yesterday was located near latitude 14.1 degrees north, longitude 67.0 degrees west, or 240 kilometres north-east of Curacao, was forecast to continue on its westward path today and tomorrow and then turn towards the north, bringing it closer to Jamaica between Sunday and Monday.
Matthew, which formed Wednesday morning near the Eastern Caribbean and has since been upgraded to a category one hurricane, had maximum sustained winds of nearly 120 km/h, with higher gusts, and was expected to strengthen as it gets closer to Jamaica.
Last evening, Thompson said that Matthew is expected to stay on its projected path.
The meteorologist said that as the system continues to move westward there might be some motion toward the south, which would seem to suggest that it is actually going to be moving away, but that will be short-lived as it is expected to make a dramatic turn towards the north.
“And so it is expected after Saturday to turn toward the north-west initially and then continue to move toward the north and take the centre of this hurricane very close to, if not over, Jamaica,” Thompson said. more
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