Gustav Hurricane & Tropical Storm Hanna Update (Photos)

Gustav attained hurricane strength earlier this afternoon as it moved off of Jamaica. Also update on Tropical storm Hanna. Will this be another Katrina? Damn, let’s hope not! Update on Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna below.

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At 5pm Friday the center of Hurricane Gustav was located about 100 miles east of Grand Cayman.

Gustav is now moving toward the northwest near 12 mph. This motion is expected to continue during the next couple of days. On this track, the center of Gustav will move by the Cayman Islands tonight, across western Cuba on Saturday, and into the southern Gulf of Mexico on Saturday night.

At 5pm Friday the center of Hurricane Gustav was located near latitude 19.2 north… longitude 79.7 west, about 100 miles east of Grand Cayman.

An Air Force aircraft reports that maximum sustained winds are 75mph with higher gusts, making Gustav a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days and Gustav could be a major hurricane by the time it crosses western Cuba. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center.

A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for the lower Florida Keys. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area within 36 hours.

The long-range forecast has Gustav becoming a strong Category 3 hurricane as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico, and making landfall somewhere on the central Gulf Coast of the United States as a Category 3 hurricane late on Monday night.

Update on Tropical Storm Hanna:

At 5pm Friday the center of Tropical Storm Hanna was located near latitude 21.8 north… longitude 63.8 west or around 280 miles north-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Hanna is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph. The storm is forecast to move west-northwest or northwest for the next couple of days. On this track, Hanna will stay far out in the Atlantic Ocean, centered well to the northeast of the Bahamas for the next couple of days.

Maximum winds are 50mph with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is forecast over the next couple of days and Hanna could become a hurricane by Sunday. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 85 miles from the center.

Let’s just hope we don’t have another “Katrina” on our hands!

Images/Source: news

Posted by: Monya

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