Tropical Storm Bill | Hurricane Bill -  The National Hurricane Center has updated it’s forecast on TS Bill to predict an increase to major hurricane strength by Thursday.

Tropical Storm Bill projected path

The prediction that Tropical Storm Bill will become a major category 3 hurricane has the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico preparing for the worst, but the good news is that the projected path of Hurricane Bill is moving more northward than yesterday.

Storm track for Hurricane Bill

That means these islands may avoid a direct hit, but being on the southern side of the eye when a hurricane passes by is also the worst place for high winds, rain, and storm surge.

National Hurricane Center: Latest Update On Tropical Storm Bill

TROPICAL STORM BILL DISCUSSION NUMBER 4
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL032009
500 AM AST SUN AUG 16 2009

THE CENTER OF BILL HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO FIND THIS MORNING…AND A 0419 UTC AMSR-E PASS INDICATED THAT IT HAS EITHER SLOWED DOWN OR HAS BEEN RE-FORMING CLOSER TO THE DEEP CONVECTION.

DVORAK T-NUMBERS ARE NOW 3.0 FROM TAFB AND 2.5 FROM SAB…SO THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS RAISED TO 40 KT.

BILL IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY STRENGTHEN OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS…AND THE OFFICIAL FORECAST FOLLOWS THE UPWARD TREND NOTED IN THE INTENSITY GUIDANCE.

BILL IS NOW EXPECTED TO REACH MAJOR HURRICANE STATUS BY DAY 5…BUT IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE 100 KT SHOWN IN THE FORECAST IS STILL BELOW THE INTENSITY CONSENSUS AND WELL BELOW THE HWRF MODEL.

THIS IS TO ACCOUNT FOR INCREASED VERTICAL SHEAR THAT MAY DEVELOP BY DAYS 4 AND 5…AS INDICATED IN THE SHIPS GUIDANCE.

THE INITIAL MOTION IS AN UNCERTAIN 270/11. BILL IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY GAIN LATITUDE AND TURN TO THE WEST-NORTHWEST OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

THE NEW SUITE OF MODEL GUIDANCE HAS SHIFTED A LITTLE NORTH OF THE PREVIOUS GUIDANCE ENVELOPE AS MOST OF THE MODELS APPEAR TO BE SHOWING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DEEP MID- TO UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AT THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.

MOST OF THE MODELS…WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE UKMET AS A SOUTHERN OUTLIER…ARE IN REMARKABLY GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH DAY 5.

HURRICANE BILL FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INITIAL 16/0900Z 11.4N 37.2W 40 KT
12HR VT 16/1800Z 11.8N 39.3W 45 KT
24HR VT 17/0600Z 12.5N 41.9W 50 KT
36HR VT 17/1800Z 13.4N 44.7W 60 KT
48HR VT 18/0600Z 14.3N 47.5W 70 KT
72HR VT 19/0600Z 16.5N 53.0W 85 KT
96HR VT 20/0600Z 19.0N 58.5W 95 KT
120HR VT 21/0600Z 22.0N 64.0W 100 KT

And that’s the latest update on Tropical Storm Bill | Hurricane Bill.

Tags: 2009 hurricane season, hurricane bill, hurricane bill track, national hurricane center, tropical storm ana, tropical storm bill

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