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Hurricane Omar rapidly moving away from northern Leeward Islands
Hurricane warnings for the British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands & the islands of Vieques & Culebra have been discontinued. The hurricane warning for St Maarten-St Martin, Saba, St Eustatious, St Barthelemy remains in effect. A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch remain in effect for St Kitts & Nevis. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Antigua, Barbuda and Montserrat.
At 0900 UTC, the eye of hurricane Omar was located about 70 miles north of St Martin. Omar is moving northeast at close to 25 mph and this general motion is expected over the next couple of days, with a further gradual increase in forward speed.
Maximum sustained winds are close to 125 mph, with higher gusts, and Omar is a Category Three hurricane. In addition, stronger winds, especially in gusts, are likely over high ground. Some weakening is forecast in the next 24 hours.
Hurricane force winds extend to 35 miles from the centre and tropical storm force winds extend to 115 miles. St Maarten recently reported a gust of 70 mph. Latest minimum central pressure reported by an Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft is 964 mb.
Omar is expected to produce total rainfall of 5 to 10 inches over parts of the northern Leeward Islands, with up to 20 inches possible. These rains could produce life threatening flash floods and mud slides.
Coastal storm surge flooding of 4 to 6 feet above normal tide levels, with large and dangerous battering waves can be expected near and to the right of the path of Omar. Coastal storm surge flooding along the coasts of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico should gradually subside. Omar could still produce large swells affecting the west and south facing coasts of the islands of the lesser Antilles. These swells could cause beach erosion and damage to coastal structures.
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