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TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE WEAKENS SLIGHTLY (See the NOAA National Hurricane Center for the latest information on this storm. Complete advisories are posted at 11 a.m., 5 p.m., 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. All times are Eastern. Advisories are posted more frequently as the storm nears the USA mainland.) July 9, 2003 � At 11 a.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Claudette was located near latitude 15.5 north, longitude 77.6 west or about 175 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica. Claudette is moving toward the west near 24 mph. A gradual turn toward the west-northwest at a slower forward speed is expected during the next 24 hours, according to the NOAA National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of Tropical Storm Claudette taken by GOES-10 at 8 a.m. EDT on July 9, 2003. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)
Reports from an Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft indicate maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 65 mph with higher gusts. Upper level winds are not currently favorable for development, and little change in strength is forecast during the next 24 hours.
Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 160 miles mainly to the north of the center. The latest minimum central pressure reported by the hurricane hunter is 1004 mb, 29.65 inches. (Click NOAA tracking map for larger view of Tropical Storm Claudette.) Above normal tides accompanied by large and dangerous battering waves are expected along the south coast of Jamaica.
Storm total rainfalls of 3 to 6 inches are likely in association with Claudette. NOAA satellite imagery indicates that rainbands should be spreading over Jamaica in the next few hours. At 11 a.m. EDT, the government of Mexico issued a hurricane watch for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Chetumal to Cabo Catoche. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Jamaica and Grand Cayman. A tropical storm watch remains in effect for Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.
For storm information specific to your area, please monitor products issued by NOAA National Weather Service local forecast offices. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation�s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Relevant Web Sites
NOAA National Hurricane Center — Get the latest advisories here
NOAA Atlantic Hurricanes Database — 150 Years of Atlantic Hurricanes
NOAA Forecasters Say Six to Nine Hurricanes Could Threaten in 2003
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
NOAA River Forecast Centers
NOAA Flood Products
NOAA Rainfall Graphics
24-hour Observed Precipitation as of 8 a.m. today
Latest rainfall data as of 8 a.m. EDT today
NOAA Buoys NOAA Tides Online
NOAA Satellite Images — The latest satellite views
Colorized Satellite Images
NOAA 3-D Satellite Images
NOAA Hurricanes Page
NOAA's Storm Watch — Get the latest severe weather information across the USA Media Contact:
Frank Lepore, NOAA Hurricane Center, (305) 229-4404
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