By VENUS HONORE-GOPIE Tuesday, August 18 2009

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BAD WEATHER AHEAD: A satellite image shows Hurricane Bill as it churns in the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane which was at category one yesterday, could...

METEOROLOGIST (III) Shakeer Baig says the Met Office is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Bill — the first to form in the Atlantic for this Rainy Season. Baig said that this hurricane could develop into a dangerous Category Three, Four or Five storm by tomorrow.

Hurricane Bill was up to yesterday a category one storm, “but has the potential to become a major hurricane by Wednesday — that is a category three, four or five hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale where five is the strongest,” a Met Office source said.

A release from the Met Office stated that Hurricane Bill was progressing on a west-north-west path at a fast pace near 35 kilometres an hour and this general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 to 48 hours, with maximum sustained winds topping at 120 kilometres an hour. Further strengthening is forecasted during the next day or two. The Met Office added that on its present track and forward speed, Bill poses no immediate threat to Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and environs.

Baig said the Met office is monitoring this system and Digicel has also stated in a release that its customers in Tobago have been provided with an additional information tool in the event of a natural disaster.

Digicel and the Information Technology Centre in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) have come together to put a system in place whereby emergency text messages will be sent to Tobago’s Digicel customers’ in the event of a natural disaster, warning or watch.

The release added that their customers can rest assured that they will receive vital emergency information when they need it and has noted that forecasters predict a well above average hurricane season.