Tropical Depression Six Forms Over the Eastern Atlantic; System Forecasted to Remain Over Open Waters

The National Hurricane Center has begun to issue public advisories for tropical depression six, which formed in the Eastern Atlantic late Tuesday night, according to the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency.

At 11 p.m., the center of tropical depression six was located near Latitude 12.6 degrees North and Longitude 34.1 degrees West. The depression is moving toward the northwest near 14 miles per hour. This general motion is forecast to continue over the next couple of days, and the system is expected to remain over the open waters of the tropical Atlantic.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 miles per hour with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is predicted, and the depression is forecast to become a tropical storm on Wednesday.

VITEMA says it continues to monitor weather systems in the tropical Atlantic as the region heads into the peak of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Mona Barnes, the agency’s director, is encouraging the community to also monitor weather reports and to be ready in the event a storm threatens the US Virgin Islands.

For more information on how to prepare visit www.VITEMA.gov/preparedness or call VITEMA’s offices at 340-773-2244 on St. Croix, 340-776-2244 on St. John and 340-774-2244 on St. Thomas.