#TrackingGrace | Storm moving over Jamaica’s northern coastline

The Meteorological Service is reporting that Tropical Storm Grace will continue to move near or over Jamaica's northern coastline this afternoon and then begin moving towards the Cayman Islands this evening and tonight.

The agency has maintained the tropical storm warning as Tropical Storm Grace spreads widespread rainfall and flash flooding across Jamaica.

This means that conditions associated with a tropical storm are expected to continue across Jamaica today.

At 1:00 p.m. the centre of Tropical Storm Grace was located near Latitude 18.5 degrees North, Longitude 77.5 degrees West, in the vicinity of Duncans, Trelawny, and 25 miles east of Montego Bay.

Grace is moving towards the west near 15 miles per hour, and a general westward to west-northwestward motion is expected for the next several days.

The Met office says the on the forecast track, the centre of Grace will continue to move near or over Jamaica's northern coastline and then moves towards the Cayman Islands.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 50 miles per hour, with higher gusts.

Grace is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane on Wednesday while moving farther away from Jamaica.

Some additional strengthening is possible prior to the centre reaching the Yucatan Peninsula late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the centre.

The Met office says that doppler radar imagery confirms that eastern and central parishes have so far received most of the heavy rainfall from the tropical storm with amounts exceeding 77 millimetres or 3 inches in a number of parishes.

Wing gusts reaching over 54 miles per hour have also been recorded in St Andrew.

Frequent outbreaks of heavy rainfall will continue to impact the island, spreading over western parishes through this evening as Tropical Storm Grace moves westward.

Flash flooding should still be expected in low-lying and flood prone areas of mainly western and central parishes into this evening.

Strong gusty winds will also continue during the next six-12 hours.

Marine operators are reminded to remain in safe harbour until all warning messages have been lifted and sea conditions have returned to normal.

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