Severe weather alert issued for Jamaica

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica (Met office) has issued a severe weather alert for the island, effective until 5 pm on Monday.

The weather alert has arisen from an area of low pressure associated with a strong tropical wave currently located about 230 kilometers southeast of Jamaica, which is expected to move into the vicinity of the island by Sunday evening.

The Met Office in a release said that satellite imagery indicates that the system has a large area of showers and thunderstorms extending across the central Caribbean.

Moreover, the associated shower and thunderstorm activities are beginning to show some signs of organization and there is now a 70 percent chance that the system could become a tropical depression within the next day 24 to 48 hours, the Met Office said.

As the system moves west-north-westward, projections are for cloudy conditions with periods of showers and thunderstorms which may be heavy at times, along with strong gusty winds, to affect sections of most parishes beginning on Sunday night and continuing through to Tuesday evening.

Sea conditions are expected to deteriorate in the vicinity of showers, thunderstorms, and strong, gusty winds, the Met Office added.

Marine interests, especially those on the island’s south coast, are advised to exercise extreme caution until the weather conditions improve.

The Met Office stated it will continue to monitor the situation.