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The sustained winds of Hurricane Fiona increase to 85 miles per hour

The sustained winds of hurricane fiona increased in the last few hours to 85 miles per hour (mph), confirmed the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in their provisional 2pm bulletin

The cyclone, which became a hurricane this morning category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale will pass near or over the southwest of Puerto Rico in the next few hours.

Fiona is the third hurricane this season, whose cyclone activity was below average. Climatologically, September 7 forms the third hurricane of a cyclonic season in the tropical basin of the Atlantic Ocean, according to the professor and hurricane expert, Philip Klotzbach.

To date, six cyclones have formed, three of which are storms and the rest hurricanes. A seventh low pressure system was monitored by the National Hurricane Center (NHC, in English), but its cyclonic development never materialized.

By next Wednesday, when it is already in the southwestern Atlantic at a safe distance from Puerto Rico, Hurricane Fiona could even become the first force majeure hurricane (category 3 to 5) this season.

The NHC reported in its most recent bulletin that the barometric pressure has dropped to 986 millibars (mb), according to records from two hurricane-hunting aircraft.

In this 2:00 pm report, The eye of the hurricane was located approximately 25 miles southwest of Ponce, specifically at latitude 17.8 degrees north, longitude 66.9 degrees west.

The hurricane is still moving at 8 mph west-northwest.

Meanwhile, its maximum storm-sustained wind field remains 140 miles from the eye, while hurricane-sustained winds extend to 30 miles.

At this magnitude, all of Puerto Rico would receive sustained tropical storm winds, while the south-southwest portion would receive the greatest impact from winds above 75 mph.

The NHC noted that a weather station in Ponce recorded a sustained wind speed of 69 mph and a gust of 103 mph.

Reports of the collaborating stations of the National Meteorological Service (SNM) in San Juan, as well as its station at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, also experienced wind gusts in excess of 70 mph.

“Fiona’s center is expected to approach Puerto Rico in the next few hours and move to or near Puerto Rico this afternoon or evening. Fiona would then move near the north coast of the Dominican Republic overnight from Sunday to Monday and on Tuesday she would be near or east of the Turks and Caicos Islands, ”the NHC predicted.

The meteorological agency pointed out that significant amounts of rain are expected, so the high risk of severe flooding and landslides persists.

Forecast analysis

The latest full forecast analysis was published in the 11 am bulletin by the meteorologist and one of the senior hurricane specialists. Riccardo Easter.

The doctor pointed out that data collected from one hurricane-hunter plane from the U.S. Air Reserve and another from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as Puerto Rico’s Doppler radar, supports Fiona’s reclassification as a hurricane. category 1.

Information from the three sources cited confirms that the cyclone has gained sufficient strength to reach winds of 80 mph.

At the time of this publication, the GOES-East satellite showed, both in the visible (GeoColor) and in the infrared, that the convection field around Fiona’s eye was large and contained her strongest thunderstorms, along with the strongest sustained winds. strong.

Top-speed winds are mostly concentrated in the northeastern quadrant of the hurricane.

“Fiona is expected to move for the next few days in a moderate wind shear environment, above hot water and within fairly humid air mass. The only obvious obstacle to rapid strengthening should be the interaction with the topographies of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola in the coming days, “Pasch stressed.

Fiona’s key points:

It will produce catastrophic floods and landslides due to the accumulation of rain expected for today and tomorrow, Monday. There is also the likelihood that Puerto Rico will still receive rain related to the cyclone’s wet trail from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Taking into account the significant accumulations of precipitation, this will be the main impact of the cyclone on Puerto Rico and its winds as a second risk.

The cyclone would pass this afternoon, around 5pm, near or over Cabo Rojo.

Fiona could cause hurricane winds (75 mph) in Puerto Rico, albeit with stronger gusts of 95 mph or higher.

Sustained winds of this intensity can send objects flying like projectiles, potentially causing power outages and falling branches or entire trees.

Follow the incidents here before Fiona’s passage through Puerto Rico

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