THAT’S ACCORDING TO A STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES THIS AFTERNOON.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE SPECIFIED AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.AT 1100 AM, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM FIONA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.6 NORTH, LONGITUDE 54.3 WEST 454 MILES EAST OF MONTSERRAT.

FIONA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 14 MPH (22 KM/H). A WESTWARD MOTION WITH SOME DECREASE IN FORWARDING SPEED IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH LATE SATURDAY, WITH A TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF FIONA IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE LEEWARD ISLANDS FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY, AND MOVE NEAR THE VIRGIN ISLANDS LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH (85 KM/H) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME SLOW STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140 MILES (220 KM) MAINLY TO THE NORTH OF THE CENTER

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1002 MB (29.59 INCHES).

THE LATEST OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS SHOW THAT TROPICAL CYCLONE IMPACTS THAT COULD AFFECT THE AREA INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

WINDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS COULD CAUSE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FROM FLYING DEBRIS AND DAMAGE TO SOME INFRASTRUCTURES.

RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES COULD PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING IN LOW-LYING AND FLOOD-PRONE AREAS AND MUDSLIDES IN SOME AREAS. RESIDENTS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUNDS AGAINST FLOODING IN LOW-LYING AREAS AND MUDSLIDES.

SEAS OF 4 TO 10 FEET COULD PRODUCE LARGE AND BATTERING WAVES WHICH COULD PRODUCE DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS FOR BEACH-GOERS.

MARINERS SHOULD STAY IN PORT AND SEEK SAFE ANCHORAGE WHILE BEACHGOERS ARE ADVISED TO AVOID THE WATERS.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE AT 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON.