Oyster Radio: Tropics Update_Monday morning notes on Tropical Storm Tomas

Tomas, which formed on Friday and intensified into a hurricane over the weekend, has weakened and was downgraded to a tropical storm late Sunday night. Tomas is the first hurricane to cross anywhere so far south this late in the season since the late 1600s.
As of 5am EDT Monday, Tropical Storm Tomas had maximum sustained winds near 50mph while located 135 miles northeast of Curacao, which is about 1,160 miles southeast of Miami, Florida.
Additional weakening is expected to occur and Tomas will likely remain at tropical storm strength through at least early Wednesday as high wind shear values remain in the region near the storm.
However, wind shear is expected to decrease later in the week, which should allow Tomas to regain some strength and there is a possibility that Tomas could become a hurricane again by Friday.
Tomas is moving to the west at 14 mph and this general motion is expected to continue through the next 24-36 hours as Tomas is steered around the southern edge of a high pressure system near Florida and the Bahamas.
By mid-week, a strong cold front is expected to move into the Southeastern U.S. and significantly weaken the high pressure system. The flow ahead of this front should steer Tomas northward and then northeast into the Atlantic over the weekend.
On the forecast track, Tomas is expected to cross Haiti on Friday, but the exact timing and forecast strength of Tomas is still somewhat uncertain.
Additional information can be found at www.nhc.noaa.gov.

Oyster Radio