Tropical storm Chantal is rapidly moving across the Lesser Antilles in the late morning hours. As of 11 AM, the storm is moving west-northwest at 29 miles per hour, with maximum sustained winds at 60 miles per hour. Chantal will continue to approach Puerto Rico into this evening and continues to strengthen until running into a little bit of land. A few of the areas under a tropical storm warning include Barbados, Puerto Rico, northern Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. The U.S. Virgin Islands, southeast Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos are under a tropical storm watch. The main threats associated with this storm are tropical storm force winds, storm surges that are 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels, and up to 8 inches of rainfall.
Once Chantal passes the mountainous regions of Hispaniola and land over eastern Cuba, it should weaken slightly. The 11 AM update from the National Hurricane Center maintains Chantal as a tropical storm into the weekend. In upcoming days we will be able to determine whether the storm will continue into the Bahamas or shift westward to affect South Florida for the weekend.
The Storm Team will have the latest watches and warnings for Tropical Storm Chantal in the evening newscasts.
