... Flash Flood Watch now in effect through Thursday morning...
The Flash Flood Watch is now in effect for
* portions of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands... including the
following areas... in Puerto Rico... central interior... Culebra...
eastern interior... Mayaguez and vicinity... north Central...
Northeast... northwest... Ponce and vicinity... San Juan and
vicinity... southeast... southwest... Vieques and western interior.
In Virgin Islands... St Croix and St. Thomas/St. John/adjacent
islands.
* Through Thursday morning
* abundant tropical moisture... associated with the outer fringes
of Hurricane Omar... will continue to lift north and bring
occasional bands of showers and thunderstorms with gusty winds
to the eastern third of Puerto Rico... Culebra and Vieques... and
all of the U.S. Virgin Islands this evening through the Thursday
morning... with these bands becoming stronger by midnight. Given
this scenario... heavy rains across the local islands during this
prolonged period will result in significant rainfall
accumulations over the 24 hours. Residents and visitors should
therefore expect areas of moderate to heavy rainfall... with
isolated rainfall totals ranging between 5 and 10 inches of
rainfall through late this afternoon... then increasing to 10 to
20 inches or more of accumulative rainfall through the end of
the event. Hurricane Omar is forecast to strengthen and pull to
the northeast between Puerto Rico and the USVI by late tonight. Due
to already saturated soils across much of the local area... only
a small amount of additional rainfall would likely result in
areas of Rapid River rises and flash and river flooding... along
with mudslides and debris flow.
A Flash Flood Watch means that conditions are favorable for heavy
rain across the watch area... which may lead to flooding. If you are
in the watch area... check your preparedness requirements...
especially if you have interests along area rivers. Keep informed...
and be ready for quick action if flooding is observed or if a Flash
Flood Warning is issued.
People in the watch area should continue to be aware of the
possibility for heavy rainfall. Avoid low lying areas... and be
careful when approaching Highway dips and underpasses. The heavy
rain could also cause mudslides in areas of steep terrain.
Please stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio... local TV... radio or your
cable television provider for later statements and possible
warnings.
This product... along with other weather... hydrological and climate
information... is available on the web at http://www.Srh.NOAA.Gov/sju
or at http://weather.Gov.