Season's First Tropical Depression Forms In Atlantic

The first tropical depression of the north Atlantic's hurricane season formed Thursday and forecasters said it would likely reach tropical storm strength before petering out over open seas.

"The depression is forecast to become a tropical storm over the next day or so, but then is expected to weaken or dissipate over colder waters by Saturday," the National Hurricane Center said.

At 1500 GMT the depression was located about 500 km (311 miles) south of Providence, Rhode Island or 1,020 kilometers (634 miles) southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The depression formed even before the official June 1 start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which stretches though November 30.

St Philip South DEO Annual Church Service

The annual Church Service of the St. Philip South District Emergency Organisation is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 7, 2009 at the Kirton's New Testament Church.

The Service will commence at 9.00 a.m., members are asked to make a special effort to attend.

Mild Earthquake Recorded In Barbados

USGS, USA: Seismometers of the US Geological Survey recorded an earthquake of magnitude 4.7 on the Richter Scale at a depth of 12 miles approximately 55 miles ENE of Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, early Sunday morning (01:13 A.M. Local - 05:13 UTC).

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009haau.php

Names Of Deadly 2008 Hurricanes Retired

The names Gustav, Ike and Paloma will never be associated with future hurricanes or tropical storms on account of their deadly romp through the Caribbean last year, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced.

The storms claimed more than 200 lives and left a trail of destruction calculated in the billions across the region from August to November 2008.

Under the normal six-year rotation, the names would have been up to be used again in 2014. However, they will be replaced by Gonzalo, Isaias and Paulette.

A NOAA spokesman said the names were retired for reasons of sensitivity.

"That's why you'll never hear the name Katrina again or Andrew, for that matter. It would be very inappropriate," Dennis Feltgen said on Friday.

Hurricane Gustav slammed into Haiti as a Category One hurricane in August, killing 77 people before tearing into Cuba as a powerful Category Four system.

More than 80 people were killed as a result of Hurricane Ike in the Caribbean. The Turks and Caicos Islands, the Southeastern Bahamas and Cuba were among the worst impacted.

The Cuban government said Paloma, which became the second strongest November hurricane on record, reaching Category 4 destroyed more than 1,400 homes and causing about US$300 million in damage on the island.

St. Philip South DEO - Meeting May 12, 2009

Members of the St. Philip South District Emergency Organisation are reminded of our monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at the St. Martin's Mangrove Primary School, St. Martin, St. Philip at 8:00 p.m.

Members of the public with an interest in the District Emergency Organisation are also invited to attend.

Gray Predicts Average 2009 Hurricane Season

Predictions released by Colorado State University’s of leading forecaster, Professor William Gray, calls for an average hurricane season in 2009. A press statement issued by Professor Gray and his team said that based on the potential for a weak El Nino event and an observed cooling of tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures, the number of hurricanes developing in 2009 would decrease.

Gray indicates that this hurricane season will be an average season with six hurricanes developing; with the risk that a major hurricane making landfall in the Caribbean is average as well. The forecasters said there would be a total of 12 named storms, including six hurricanes. Of those hurricanes, two are expected to develop into at least Category Three strength, or higher.

In 2008, there were 16 named storms including eight hurricanes, five of them were major.

Professor Gray, who is beginning his 26th year forecasting hurricanes at Colorado State University said; "We expect current weak La Nina conditions to transition to neutral and perhaps weak El Nino conditions by this year's hurricane season. If El Nino conditions develop for this year's hurricane season, it would tend to increase levels of vertical wind shear and decrease levels of Atlantic hurricane activity."

Professor Gray and his team also mentioned that they have seen uncharacteristic cooling of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic over the past few months. These cooler waters are associated with dynamic and thermodynamic factors that are less conducive for an active Atlantic hurricane season. Those factors are similar to conditions that occurred during 1951, 1968, 1976, 1985 and 2001 seasons. On average, those five seasons had average activity, and Gray and lead forecaster Phil Klotzbach predict the 2009 season will have activity in line with those years.