(CMR) Tropical Depression 26 has now strengthened into Tropical Storm Delta. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Cayman Islands including Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Tropical storm conditions are expected there beginning late today.
The latest update from the National Hurricane Center was provided at 7 a.m. It's the 25th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
A Hurricane Watch continues for the Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio and Artemisa, and the Isle of Youth. Hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area by Tuesday afternoon, with tropical storm conditions possible by early Tuesday.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Cuba province of La Habana. Tropical Storm conditions are possible within the watch area in Cuba by early Tuesday. For storm information specific to your area, please monitor products issued by your national meteorological service.
At 8 a.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Delta was located over the central Caribbean Sea about 130 miles (210 km) south of Negril, Jamaica, and about 270 miles (440 km) southeast of Grand Cayman.
The storm is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph (15 km/h), and this general motion should continue for the next day or so. A faster northwestward motion is expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On the forecast track, the center of Delta is expected to move away from Jamaica later today, move near or over the Cayman Islands later tonight, and approach the Isle of Youth and western Cuba Tuesday afternoon or evening. Delta is forecast to move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico Tuesday night or early Wednesday.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center. Additional strengthening is expected to occur during the next few days, and the tropical storm is expected to be a hurricane when it moves near or over western Cuba.
A dangerous storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels along the immediate coast of the Isle of Youth and along the south coast of western Cuba near and to right of where the center makes landfall. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves.
Through midweek, Delta is expected to produce 3 to 5 inches of rain with isolated maximum totals of 8 inches across Jamaica and western Cuba. This rainfall could lead to significant flash floods and mudslides. Over the Cayman Islands, 2 to 4 inches of rainfall will be possible with this system.
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