BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — The National Hurricane Center early this morning issued a Tropical Storm Watch for Boca Raton and much of Southeast Florida as Tropical Storm Sandy churns in the Atlantic.
While a direct hit is unlikely, expect bands of heavy rain Thursday and Friday.
Here's the 5a update from the NHC:
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM SANDY ADVISORY NUMBER 8...CORRECTED
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL182012
500 AM EDT WED OCT 24 2012
MODIFIED TROPICAL STORM WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
...SANDY CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN AS IT MOVES A LITTLE FASTER
TOWARD JAMAICA...
...TROPICAL STORM WATCH ISSUED FOR SOUTHEAST FLORIDA. AND THE
UPPER KEYS...
SUMMARY OF 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...16.3N 77.0W
ABOUT 120 MI...190 KM S OF KINGSTON JAMAICA
ABOUT 295 MI...475 KM SSW OF GUANTANAMO CUBA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...70 MPH...110 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...N OR 10 DEGREES AT 14 MPH...22 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...986 MB...29.12 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA
FROM JUPITER INLET SOUTH TO OCEAN REEF.
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FLORIDA UPPER KEYS
FROM OCEAN REEF SOUTHWARD TO CRAIG KEY...INCLUDING FLORIDA BAY.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* JAMAICA
* CUBAN PROVINCES OF CAMAGUEY...LAS TUNAS...GRANMA...SANTIAGO DE
CUBA...HOLGUIN...AND GUANTANAMO
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* HAITI
* THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS...INCLUDING CAT ISLAND...THE EXUMAS...LONG
ISLAND...RUM CAY...AND SAN SALVADOR.
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE SOUTHEASTERN AND NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS
* FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM JUPITER INLET TO OCEAN REEF
* FLORIDA UPPER KEYS FROM OCEAN REEF TO CRAIG KEY
* FLORIDA BAY
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE
AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA...IN THIS CASE WITHIN
24 TO 36 HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE NORTHWESTERN
BAHAMAS LATER THIS MORNING.
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 48 HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MAY BE REQUIRED FOR PORTIONS OF EAST-CENTRAL
FLORIDA LATER THIS MORNING.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE
THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL
METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.
DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM SANDY WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 77.0 WEST. SANDY IS
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 14 MPH...22 KM/H...AND THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY ACCOMPANIED BY A
GRADUAL INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE
CENTER OF SANDY IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS JAMAICA BY LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MOVE NEAR OR OVER EASTERN CUBA LATE TONIGHT
AND THURSDAY MORNING...AND APPROACH THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS ON
THURSDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 70 MPH...110 KM/H...
WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS...AND SANDY IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE BY THE
TIME IT REACHES JAMAICA AND CUBA.
TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES...220 KM
FROM THE CENTER. A NOAA BUOY LOCATED WELL TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER
RECENTLY REPORTED A SUSTAINED WIND OF WIND 56 MPH...90 KM/H AND A
GUST OF 74 MPH...120 KM/H.
THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 986 MB...29.12 INCHES.
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH JAMAICA THIS
MORNING...WITH HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED BY THIS AFTERNOON.
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF HAITI BY THIS
AFTERNOON. HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN EASTERN CUBA BY
THIS EVENING. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE CENTRAL
BAHAMAS BY EARLY THURSDAY...WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN AND
NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON...AND WILL BE POSSIBLE
ALONG THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST...THE UPPER KEYS...AND FLORIDA
BAY BY FRIDAY MORNING.
RAINFALL...SANDY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF
6 TO 12 INCHES ACROSS JAMAICA...HAITI...THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND
EASTERN CUBA...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 20 INCHES POSSIBLE.
THESE RAINS MAY PRODUCE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD
SLIDES...ESPECIALLY IN AREAS OF MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. RAINFALL
TOTALS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF THE
BAHAMAS...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES.
STORM SURGE...A STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS
1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ALONG THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN
COAST OF JAMAICA. A STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH
AS 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IN SOUTHEASTERN CUBA. A
STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 4 TO 7 FT ABOVE
NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IN THE BAHAMAS WITHIN THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING
AREA. NEAR THE COAST...THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND
DANGEROUS WAVES.
LOCAL JOURNALISM SUPPORTER.
