Tropical Storm Gonzalvo

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Tropical Storm Gonzalvo

After a complete an utter lack of tropical depressions, tropical storms, hurricanes and indeed rain throughout this entire hurricane season, we did not see this coming. So it may surprise you to know that Tropical Storm Gonzalo is threatening to bring some rather unpleasant weather to the Dominican Republic by Tuesday/Wednesday. 

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Tropical Storm Gonzalo developed this afternoon, and this is what we know so far:

Tropical Storm Gonzalo

  • Maximum sustained winds = 40mph
  • Moving west at 10mph
  • Located 200 miles east of Guadelope
  • A tropical storm warning has been issued for the Virgin Islands and the Lesser Antilles
  • A tropical storm hurricane watch has been issued for Puerto Rico
Tropical Storm Gonzalvo

Predictions

As with all tropical storms how exactly Tropical Storm Gonzalo will develop and where he will go is unknown, however the following is predicted:

  • Will steadily gain strength over the next few days.
  • Could become a category 1 hurricane as it reaches Puerto Rico
  • After Puerto Rico, Tropical Storm Gonzalo will head north of the Dominican Republic
Tropical Storm Gonzalvo

What does this mean for the Dominican Republic?

Rain, wind, storm surge. Yes really. Even if Tropical Storm Gonzalo goes north… the Dominican Republic will still be affected.

Looking at the predictions, the most likely scenario is that he will head to the north of the Dominican Republic as a category 1 or category 2 hurricane. If that happens the Dominican Republic will still be affected by strong winds, rain and a storm surge (especially along the north coast).

Remember that when we talk about the path of a storm, we are always referring to the “center” of the storm, which is where the strongest winds are located. However, these tropical weather systems can be hundreds of miles wide, so even if the center of Tropical Storm Gonzalvo goes north, the island of Hispaniola will be affected by the tail end of the storm.

Reason to panic?

Certainly not. But we certainly do need to keep an eye on Tropical Storm Gonzalo.