Tropical Storm Chantal continued to move quickly over the Atlantic as it neared Barbados early Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
As of 8 a.m., Chantal had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as it moved west-northwest at 26 mph about 45 miles north-northwest of Barbados and 85 miles east of St. Lucia.
The forecast cone has shifted slightly to the east early Tuesday, removing a good portion of South Florida from Chantal’s path. By late-week the storm could potentially be in the central Bahamas as a tropical storm, depending on its interaction with Hispaniola.
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There are still many variables that would ultimately dictate the location and intensity of Chantal three to five days from now and South Florida residents should continue to monitor the storm.
At this point, the official forecast never calls for Chantal to reach hurricane strength.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and the southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the border with Haiti. A tropical storm watch was in effect for St. Vincent, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Vieques and Culebra, the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas.
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Chantal is expected to continue moving to the west-northwest over the next couple days, and some strengthening is forecast.
Tropical storm conditions are expected to reach portions of the Windward Islands later Tuesday morning and reach Puerto Rico Tuesday night or early Wednesday. Tropical storm conditions are expected to reach the southeastern portion of the Dominican Republic by Wednesday morning and are possible in Haiti by late Wednesday.
Chantal is expected to bring between 2-4 inches of rain over the Leeward and Windward Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, with maximum amounts of six inches possible.
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Photo Credit: NOAA