GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – National Disaster Coordinator/Fire Chief Clive Richardson, is reminding the Sint Maarten community not to let their guard down and remain vigilant as we approach the peak period of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season for hurricane development which runs from mid-August to mid-October.
There is currently Tropical Depression #11 (TD#11) that is several hundred miles out in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Lesser Antilles, which is a stark reminder that we are in the hurricane season.
Even though TD#11 does not pose a direct threat to Sint Maarten at this point in time, residents and the business community are requested to monitor the progress of the system due to the fact that the tropical depression is east of the island chain.
The depression is expected to become a tropical storm on Wednesday night. If this takes place as forecasted, it will be called Josephine.
The Office of Disaster Management (ODM) and the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten (MDS) will continue to keep you informed as the system approaches the Lesser Antilles.
Two hurricane forecasting organizations have further upgraded the season to being extremely busy. The Colorado State University (CSU) Tropical Weather & Climate Research in its latest season hurricane forecasting report of August 5 calls for “…an extremely active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce – National Hurricane Center (NHC) falls under the NOAA – on August 6 in its report said: “Atmospheric and oceanic conditions are primed to fuel storm development in the Atlantic, leading to what could be an ‘extremely active’ season.”
The updated NOAA outlook calls for up to 25-named storms, of which seven to 11 will become hurricanes, including three to six major hurricanes of Category 3 or more. To date there has already been nine named storms so far for the season with the last one being Isaias.
The remaining storm names for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season are: Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, René, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, and Wilfred.
To learn more about hurricane hazards and how to prepare for a storm/hurricane strike, visit the Government website: www.sintmaartengov.org/hurricane where you will be able to download your “Hurricane Season Readiness Guide’ and “Hurricane Tracking Chart.”
In addition, you can also download the ‘Disasterprep Sint Maarten’ app for Android and Apple phones by going to the Google and Apple stores.
Listen to the Government Radio station – 107.9FM – for official information and news before, during and after a hurricane.
For official weather-related information, check out the website of the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com
Remember, it only takes one hurricane to make it a bad season. Be prepared this hurricane season!
