HURRICANE TOMAS ADVISORY 6

[Nws Olney Maryland]

BULLETIN
HURRICANE TOMAS ADVISORY NUMBER 6
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL/OLNEY MD AL212010
500 PM AST SAT OCT 30 2010

...TOMAS CONTINUES TO LASH ST. LUCIA AND ST. VINCENT WITH STRONG
WINDS...HEAVY RAINS...AND BATTERING SURF CONDITIONS...


SUMMARY OF 500 PM AST...2100 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...13.5N 61.4W
ABOUT 35 MI...55 KM SW OF ST. LUCIA
ABOUT 20 MI...30 KM NW OF ST. VINCENT
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...75 MPH...120 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 290 DEGREES AT 10 MPH...17 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...992 MB...29.29 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...

THE GOVERNMENT OF BARBADOS HAS DISCONTINUED THE TROPICAL STORM
WARNING FOR BARBADOS.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
* ST. LUCIA
* MARTINIQUE

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* DOMINICA
* TOBAGO
* GRENADA

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA...IN THIS CASE WITHIN 12 HOURS.
PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE COMPLETE.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA...IN THIS CASE WITHIN
THE NEXT 12 HOURS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE MONITOR
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.


DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 500 PM AST...2100 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE TOMAS WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 13.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 61.4 WEST. TOMAS IS MOVING
TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH...17 KM/HR...AND THIS MOTION
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE
CENTER OF TOMAS WILL PASS BETWEEN ST. LUCIA AND ST. VINCENT THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND ENTER THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA LATER
TONIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH...120 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. TOMAS IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.

HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 25 MILES...35 KM...FROM
THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO
175 MILES...280 KM. DURING THE PAST HOUR...A WIND GUST TO 45 MPH...
72 KM/HR...WAS REPORTED ON MARTINIQUE AND A WIND GUST TO 40 MPH...
65 KM/HR...WAS REPORTED ON DOMINICA. RECENT REPORTS FROM HAM RADIO
OPERATORS INDICATE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO HOMES AND POWER LINES HAS
OCCURRED ON BARBADOS...ST. LUCIA...AND ST. VINCENT. ALSO...
HEWANORRA AIRPORT ON ST. LUCIA HAS BEEN CLOSED DUE TO FLOOD WATERS.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 992 MB...29.29 INCHES.


HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING ON ST. LUCIA...ST.
VINCENT...AND MARTINIQUE...AND WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF
THE WARNING AREA THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND
CONTINUING INTO THIS EVENING. HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE ALSO LIKELY
OCCURRING ON ST. LUCIA AND ST. VINCENT...AND ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN
ELSEWHERE WITHIN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA THIS EVENING.

RAINFALL...TOMAS IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS
OF 4 TO 6 INCHES...WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 8
INCHES...ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WINDWARD AND SOUTHERN LEEWARD
ISLANDS.

STORM SURGE...A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY
AS MUCH AS 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS WITHIN AREAS OF
ONSHORE FLOW. THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND
POTENTIALLY DESTRUCTIVE WAVES.


NEXT ADVISORY
-------------
NEXT INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY...800 PM AST.
NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY...1100 PM AST.