(Trinidad Guardian) At 5 am today the National Hurricane Center, Miami has upgraded an area of low pressure located to the east of Trinidad and Tobago into tropical storm Karen.
At 5 am the centre of the system was located at 11.9°N latitude and 60.2°W longitude or approximately 80 kilometres northeast of Tobago.
As a result of this, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has placed Trinidad and Tobago under a Tropical Storm Warning.
Further to this, the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service has placed Grenada and its dependencies under a Tropical Storm Warning.
Tropical Storm Karen is currently moving toward the west-northwest at 15 km/h and this general movement is expected to continue for today.
Maximum sustained winds are 65 km/h with higher gusts. Tropical storm force winds extend to approximately 120 km from the centre.
A turn toward the northwest is forecast to occur on Monday, followed by a turn toward the north on Tuesday.
On the forecast track, Karen will move across Trinidad and Tobago later this morning and emerge over the south-eastern Caribbean Sea by Monday morning.
The following is a summary of watches and warning in effect as of 5 am today:
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Grenada and its dependencies
Citizens and all concerned are advised to closely follow the directions and advice of their Disaster Emergency Managers at this time. Adopt all necessary measures to preserve life and property.
Repeating the position of Karen at 5:00 am is 11.9ºN latitude 60.2ºW longitude or about 80 kilometres northeast of Tobago.
The Trinidad Met Office has meanwhile raised the alert level to red.
It warns of periods of heavy to intense showers and/or thunderstorms are likely. Heavy/intense downpours are expected to result in street/flash flooding.
Gusty winds in excess of 65 km/hr can be expected. The risk of landslides/landslips is very high in areas so prone. Sea conditions are also likely to become occasionally rough.
“Adequate preparations should be made to safeguard life and property. If you live in areas that are susceptible to flooding, especially areas along the main river courses and tributaries, please be prepared,” the statement says.