Hydromet Dept. issues warnings ahead of Tropical Storm Gonzalo

See fulll statement from the Hydromet office below:

Tropical Storm Gonzalo.

The National Hurricane Centre has informed the territories in the Northern Atlantic and Caribbean Basins of the formation of the seventh tropical system of the 2020 Northern Atlantic and Caribbean Hurricane season. This system was first reported as a Tropical Depression at 17:00 hrs on July 21, 2020, but was subsequently upgraded to a Tropical Storm at about 09:00 hrs on July 22, 2020. The National Hurricane Centre informs that at 11:00 hrs 22 July, 2020 the center of the Tropical Storm Gonzalo was located at 9.9 ºN 43.6 º W, which is about one thousand six hundred fifty Kilometres (1650 Km) to the east-north-east of Georgetown. The system is moving towards the west at a speed of 6 m/s. Meteorological models are indicating that the center of this tropical system may be to the north of Guyana in the Atlantic Ocean as a Hurricane between 20:00 hrs 24 July and 08:00 hrs 25 July.

What can Guyana expect?

Unless this system changes its trajectory and begin to travel towards the south-west of its current position or it increases to in excess of four hundred Kilometres (400 Km), which are very improbable, TS Gonzalo is not expected to directly impact Guyana. Nevertheless, this system may create favourable conditions over northern Guyana that may result in thundershowers. The extent of these thundershowers and the location (s) of impact are not exactly known at this time, but as soon as a determination can be made the Hydrometeorological Service shall communicate the necessary warnings to the citizens of Guyana.

The Hydrometeorological Service will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as the need arises.