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Omar Strengthens, Threatens Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
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Published: October 15, 2008
TAMPA - For a storm that was expected to barely reach hurricane strength, Hurricane Omar now looks like it could hit Category 2, with winds more than 100 mph, in a few days.
It might not be that strong when it gets near Puerto Rico on Thursday, but as it moves northeast into the Atlantic, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say Omar should muscle up as it heads away from land.
That's even with shear hampering its development.
By early next week, Omar should become part of a larger weather area well into the Atlantic.
At 8 a.m. today, Omar's winds neared 80 mph. The storm was traveling northeast at about 7 mph and was about 265 miles south-southwest of Puerto Rico.
A hurricane warning has been issued for the U.S. Virgin islands and the islands of Vieques and Culebra. Hurricane warnings have also been issued by the governments of St. Martin, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, St. Kitts, Nevis and other islands. A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning remain in effect for Puerto Rico.
As forecasters expected, Tropical Storm Nana vanished, as did an area of low pressure the hurricane center was watching just south of Nana.
At the opposite end of the Caribbean Sea, the season's 16th tropical depression is hovering near the coast of Central America.
Forecasters say it should become the next tropical storm, but that depends on how much of the depression stays over water and for how long.
It probably will head inland by Friday somewhere around Honduras.
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