Tropical Storm Philippe May Impact USVI, Puerto Rico

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring Tropical Storm Philippe, located east of the Lesser Antilles. While the tropical disturbance is not a well-developed storm, it may impact the USVI and Puerto Rico this weekend, bringing rain and gusty winds.

As of a 5 p.m. update from the NHC on Wednesday, Philippe is packing maximum sustained winds of approximately 50 mph, and it is moving toward the west-northwest at about five mph. The system’s movement is being influenced by an area of high pressure, helping to steer it in a more westerly-southwesterly direction. It is forecast to reach the USVI and Puerto Rico as a potential tropical storm or a tropical depression.

With the storm encountering wind shear and drier air, both detrimental to tropical storms, there remains uncertainty about where Philippe will move and how intense the cyclone may be as it approaches the islands. The NHC admits that forecasting this cyclone’s exact track and intensity has been challenging.

“This is a fairly complicated intensity and track forecast. Philippe is in a sheared environment and currently lacks organization. The system is forecast to move into a slightly drier mid-level airmass in a few days, which may also inhibit the overall convective pattern,” according to the NHC update.