000 WTCA82 TJSJ 021718 RRA HLSSJU PRZ001>013-VIZ001-002-AMZ710>750-021830- BULLETIN- TROPICAL STORM CHRIS LOCAL STATEMENT...DELAYED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 1130 AM AST WED AUG 2 2006 ...TROPICAL STORM CHRIS IS PASSING NORTH OF SOMBRERO ISLAND... ...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO... ...HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM THURSDAY FOR THE NORTHERN COASTS OF PUERTO RICO AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS EXCEPT VIEQUES... ...NEW INFORMATION... STORM INFORMATION. INLAND FLOODING. WINDS. ...AREAS AFFECTED... THIS STATEMENT RECOMMENDS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY RESIDENTS AND VISITORS OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO. ...WATCHES/WARNINGS... A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. ...STORM INFORMATION... AT 11:00 AM AST...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM CHRIS WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 19.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 63.4 WEST...OR ABOUT 70 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF ANEGADA ISLAND...OR ABOUT 140 MILES NORTHEAST OF ST CROIX OR ABOUT 121 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF ST THOMAS...OR ABOUT 190 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF SAN JUAN. CHRIS WAS MOVING WEST NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH...WITH THIS GENERAL MOTION EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK... THE CENTER OF CHRIS WILL REMAIN NORTH OF THE NORTHERNMOST LEEWARD ISLANDS THIS MORNING...AND PASS NORTH OF SAINT THOMAS AND SAINT JOHN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 65 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 36 HOURS...AND CHRIS IS FORECAST TO BECOME A HURRICANE ON THURSDAY. ...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... RESIDENTS AND VISITORS OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO SHOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE MAIN IMPACT FROM CHRIS IS EXPECTED TO BE TORRENTIAL RAINS FROM THE HEAVY RAIN BANDS AND SQUALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORM. ADDITIONALLY...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE AND GREATER MAY ACCOMPANY THESE SQUALLS AND RAINBANDS. MARINERS IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS SHOULD HAVE ALREADY PREPARED THEIR VESSELS FOR THIS STORM...AND MARINERS IN PUERTO RICO SHOULD RUSH TO READY THEIR VESSELS. ...WINDS... TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 75 MILES FROM THE CENTER OF CHRIS. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME GUSTY IN THE NORTHERN VIRGIN ISLANDS IN PASSING SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RAIN BANDS. SUSTAINED WINDS ARE FORECAST TO REACH 20 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS TROPICAL STORM CHRIS COMES CLOSER TO THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. BASED ON THE LATEST FORECAST TRACK THE STORM CENTER IS FORECAST TO PASS NORTH OF ST JOHN AND ST THOMAS EARLY TONIGHT. TROPICAL STORM FORCE GUSTS SHOULD BE EXPECTED AS THE RAIN BANDS AROUND THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE STORM IMPACT ST THOMAS AND ST JOHN...AND TO A LESSER EXTENT ST CROIX. WINDS WILL CHANGE TO THE SOUTHEAST ONCE THE STORM MOVES NORTHWEST OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS LATE IN THE EVENING. WINDS OVER PUERTO RICO ARE FORECAST TO INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH BY THIS EVENING WITH STRONGER GUSTS ALONG THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE ISLAND AND IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS. CURRENTLY SUSTAINED TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN OFFSHORE ACROSS THE ANEGADA PASSAGE AND THE OFF SHORE ATLANTIC WATERS...BUT RESIDENTS OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO SHOULD MONITOR THIS CLOSELY AS ANY INCREASE IN THE INTENSITY THIS MORNING OR A MORE WESTWARD TRACK COULD BRING THE STORM CLOSER TO THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO...WITH MORE SIGNIFICANT WIND IMPACTS. ...INLAND FLOODING... RAIN BANDS WITH HEAVY RAINS ARE ENTERING THE NORTHER U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND DUE TO THE SLOW MOVING NATURE OF THESE BANDS...AMOUNTS WILL BE HEAVY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTER FRINGES OF TROPICAL STORM CHRIS WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS...CULEBRA AND VIEQUES...AND OVER THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF PUERTO RICO LATER THIS AFTERNOON. HEAVY RAINS ARE THEN LIKELY AS THE CENTER OF THE STORM PASSES TO THE NORTH OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK FOR TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AND FLOODING LATE AFTERNOON WEDNESDAY AND INTO THURSDAY. THIS COULD CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY BEHIND THE EXITING STORM AS LOW LEVEL WINDS SHIFT TO THE SOUTHEAST. RAINFALL TOTALS OF THREE TO SIX INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST INTERIOR SECTIONS OF PUERTO RICO AND THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE ISLAND. RIVERS ACROSS PUERTO RICO COULD EXPERIENCE RAPID RISES WITH SOME RIVERS EXCEEDING BANKFULL LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY. ...MARINE IMPACTS... SMALL CRAFT SHOULD PLAN TO REMAIN IN PORT THROUGH THURSDAY. SEAS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE LOCAL ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS AND THROUGH THE ANEGADA PASSAGE THIS MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY... AND WILL LIKELY REACH 10 TO 15 FEET WITHIN 50 MILES OF THE CENTER OF CHRIS. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY HAS IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM THURSDAY FOR PUERTO RICO INCLUDING CULEBRA AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. ROUGH AND CONFUSED SURF AND VERY STRONG RIP CURRENTS WILL BE SEEN ACROSS THE WATERS OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND THE NORTHERN COASTS OF PUERTO RICO TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY. ...NEXT UPDATE... THE NEXT HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 2:30 PM AST BY YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO. $$ SNELL