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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Tropical Depression Forms In Bahamas


TD 3 Forms In Bahamas, Will Soak Parts Of Fla.

A newly formed tropical depression raked the low-lying Bahamas with rain and lightening on Thursday as it headed on a course for the site of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.




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The storm was located in the southern Bahamas. Severe Weather Center 9 says its path will take it between Cuba and the Florida Keys, through Friday night and into Saturday morning. The current forecast calls for it to be upgraded to Tropical Storm Bonnie within 12 hours.

In Central Florida, Severe Weather Center 9 says rain will begin falling Friday with wind gusts of 20 mph and higher; the surf will be rougher and there will be a high risk for rip currents. Areas of south Florida will likely see heavy rain.

At 11:00am, TD 3 was located at 21.9N 75.0W, about 265 miles southeast of Nassau. Maximum sustained winds were at 35 mph. The storm was moving west-northwest at 15 mph.Skies darkened and people stocked up on water and food in the southern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, island chains that are well-accustomed to rough weather. Many businesses remained open, but schools were already closed for the summer.

"There's definitely some lightning and thunder out there," said Johanny Lightbourne, a manager at a market in the island of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos. "But it's still business as usual, pretty much. "Donna Musgrove, a businesswoman in Providenciales, said some streets were flooded. "It's raining from one end of the island to the other," she said. "The skies are completely dark."Residents in the southeastern Bahamas endured heavy rains and copious lightning, but no damages or injuries have been reported. Officials with the Emergency Operations Center said they would travel to the area with basic supplies as soon as the weather improves.

The government of the Bahamas has issued a tropical storm warning for the central and northwestern Bahamas. A tropical storm warning has been issued for the Florida east coast from Golden Beach southward, including the entire Florida Keys and Florida Bay, and along the west coast of Florida northward to Bonita Beach.A tropical storm watch has been issued for the east coast of Florida from north of Golden Beach to Jupiter Inlet, including Lake Okeechobee.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.

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