Up to press time, tropical storm Chris, the third storm of this year's hurricane season in the Atlantic, did not look like it would form into a hurricane or pose a threat to our area. But as we well know you never can tell.
Two systems merged to form Tropical Storm Chris over the northeastern Caribbean Sea earlier in the week prompting tropical storm warnings for various islands. By Thursday afternoon however, the storm lost significant strength over the western Atlantic Ocean, with winds falling to 45 mph north of Puerto Rico.
Tropical storm-force winds extended 80 miles from the storm center and forecasters said as much as 10 inches of rain could fall in Puerto Rico as the storm moves away.
The weather forecast for the Cayman Islands this weekend was for sunshine and showers.
With William Gray and others predicting a busy season for the Atlantic this year all countries in our region will need to remain on alert with regard to any tropical storm activity.
Moreover, last month further reports were published in the scientific community linking increased hurricane activity and intensity with human behaviour.
Two new studies by leading climate scientists quantify a connection between human-induced global warming and recent enhanced North Atlantic hurricane activity. The studies conclude that natural variability plays only a minor role.
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, a participating agency in the federal Climate Change Science Programme.
In one study Kevin Trenberth and Dennis Shea of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) concluded that global warming accounted for around half of the extra hurricane-fueling warmth in the waters of the tropical North Atlantic last year, while natural cycles were only a minor factor.
Food for thought for all of us especially when we next visit the gas station.
