Tammy Reaches Hurricane Strength Before Striking the Caribbean Islands

Image provided by NOAA

Impacts to the Caribbean

Tammy will continue to be guided to the west by steering winds. Over the weekend, Tammy will move near the Leeward Islands before being directed northeast early next week. This storm is expected to drop heavy rain, strong wind, and thunderstorms in the eastern Caribbean.

The heavy rain could cause flooding and mudslides in the Lesser Antilles, especially in the Leeward Islands from Friday through Sunday.

In the northernmost islands, residents can expect to see between 4-8 inches of rain in the coming days.

In the Leeward Islands, winds of between 40 - 80 mph are expected, which is enough to cause downed trees and power outages. These winds will cause issues on land and in the sea where forecasters warn of rough surf and dangerous rip currents.

A Busy Hurricane Season

With Tammy becoming number 19 on the list of named storms and the 7th hurricane, this Atlantic hurricane season has been no joke and has outpaced the East Pacific hurricane season. However, the Pacific has been heating up lately, with Hurricane Norma preparing to make landfall in Mexico not long after Hurricane Lidia hit the country.

The hurricane season officially ends November 30, but it's getting all the action it can this year.