The Bahamas may face more hardship as a developing tropical disturbance approaches less than two weeks after Hurricane Dorian hammered the island chain.
The government of the Bahamas has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for a slew of northwestern islands, including the Abacos and Grand Bahama Island.
In its 5 p.m. advisory on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said the low pressure system is expected to become a tropical storm and bring tropical storm-force winds to the northwestern Bahamas in the next 36 hours.
The system is also expected to bring heavy rain, but the weather agency said “significant” storm surge will not threaten the northern Bahamas.
The government of the Bahamas has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for the northwestern Bahamas (excluding Andros Island) and tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area by late Friday. More hazard information is available at https://t.co/3FQe7hmzls pic.twitter.com/SKpbh0AIdu
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 12, 2019
Hurricane Dorian slammed the northern Bahamas over Labor Day weekend as a high-end Category 5 storm with 185 miles per hour sustained maximum winds. At least 50 deaths have been blamed on the hurricane, though with 2,500 people still missing, officials expect the death toll to rise.
Entire neighborhoods were destroyed, leaving 15,000 people in need of food and shelter to this day.
The latest threat to the Bahamas, currently dubbed Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, was roughly 235 miles southeast of Great Abaco Island, one of areas hardest hit by Dorian, as of 5 p.m. It has maximum sustained winds of 30 mph, only 9 mph below what is needed to become a tropical depression.
Beyond the Bahamas, the tropical disturbance is projected to hit the eastern coast of Florida. Tropical storm-force winds are expected to reach the Florida peninsula by Saturday morning. Other states that could feel the impacts of the storm include Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
