TS Chantal Heads for RD and Haiti

Projection con for Tropical Storm Chantal at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday by INSMET–Cuba.

HAVANA TIMES — Tropical Storm Chantal strengthened slightly on Tuesday in the Caribbean and the center is expected to reach the Dominican coast some time on Wednesday afternoon. The storm inclined its path slightly to the south which could mean a greater impact also on Haiti than initially projected.

At 6:00 p.m. (EST) the Cuban Weather Service spotted the center of Chantal at 700 kilometers (435 miles) east-southeast of the Dominican Republic and 390 kilometers (242 miles) south-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

At 11:00 p.m. (EST) the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami reported that Chantal is packing maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (105 kph) and is moving swiftly at 26 mph (43 kph) on a west-northwest track.

According the NHC a tropical storm warning is in effect for Puerto Rico; the entire coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti; the Turks and Caicos and the Southeastern Bahamas. A tropical storm watch is in place for the US Virgin Islands, Vieques, Culebra and the Central Bahamas.

While eastern Cuba is closely monitoring Chantal no watch or warning has yet to be officially declared.