Cruise ships detour, tourists scram....

[dixiebreeze]

as Chris moves WNW:

Tropical Storm Chris threatens to become first Atlantic hurricane of the season
By LAURA CANDELAS (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
August 02, 2006 2:33 PM EDT
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Tropical Storm Chris swept through the eastern Caribbean on Wednesday, skirting several islands but forcing cruise ships to change course and tourists to evacuate small islands as it threatened to turn into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season.

A hurricane watch was issued in the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in Miami, meaning hurricane conditions of winds of at least 74 mph (119 kph) were possible by late Thursday. The storm maintained top sustained winds of 65 mph (105 kph) as it moved west-northwest toward Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

Some 600 tourists evacuated Culebra and Vieques, small islands off Puerto Rico's east coast, as the storm approached.

"Everybody left," Jacinto Jiminez, owner of a hotel on Culebra, 17 miles (27 kilometers) east of Puerto Rico's main island.

The storm was projected to pass at least 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Puerto Rico, but could produce strong gusts of wind and up to 8 inches of rain, creating the risk of flash floods and mudslides, authorities in the U.S. territory warned.

The center of the storm was located about 100 miles (165 kilometers) northeast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands at mid-afternoon Wednesday.

Royal Caribbean, the cruise line operator, said it was altering the itineraries of three ships - the Navigator of the Seas, the Explorer of the Seas and the Freedom of the Seas - to keep them clear of the storm.

"Royal Caribbean will continue to closely monitor weather conditions," the company said.

There were no reports of major damage or injuries as the storm crossed over the Leeward Islands.

Colin McAdie, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Chris was traveling on a path toward the Bahamas "over the next couple of days."

Bahamian officials have advised people to stock up on supplies of water and canned food and be prepared to take precautions - such as boarding up their houses - if the storm intensified into a hurricane later on Wednesday.

Trevor Basden, senior meteorologist with the island chain's National Emergency Management Agency, said he expected Chris to strengthen into a minimal Category 1 hurricane as it passed through the Bahamas. He said the storm was likely to reach the Bahamas on Friday morning.

Forecasters say the storm was likely to strengthen as it traveled on a path that could take it into the Gulf of Mexico, on a course that could take it anywhere from south of Cuba to Florida by late this weekend.

In Anguilla, Chris brought heavy rain and strong winds overnight but the storm was much less severe than expected because it shifted to the north at the last minute, said Elizabeth Klute, director of the disaster management agency for the British Caribbean territory.

"It just kind of skirted us," Klute said. "It's moving on.

People in the islands of Antigua and St. Maarten awoke to a light rain. There were no reports of major flooding or other damage from the storm.

The first named storm of the 2006 season, Tropical Storm Alberto, swept over Florida in mid-June, then plowed northward along the U.S. coast past the Outer Banks. It was blamed for one death.

Last season was the worst in more than 150 years of records. A record number of tropical storms and hurricanes formed, including the devastating Hurricane Katrina.