Hurricane Joyce slid further south in the Tropical Atlantic Thursday, and while still more than 800 miles from the Windward Islands of the Caribbean the storm is becoming more worrisome to forecasters.
At 5 a.m. Friday, Joyce's center was located near 10.6 degrees north latitude, 47.5 degrees west longitude, about 835 miles east of Barbados. There has been little change in strength, with top winds near 85 miles per hour with higher gusts, according to forecaster Lixion Avila of the National Hurricane Center. The storm is moving west-southwest near 14 miles per hour, and a gradual turn to the west is expected in the next day or two.
Earlier this week, Avila cautioned that the farther south of due west the storm travels, the more dangerous it becomes for the islands of the Lesser Antilles. "Joyce is over warm water, and the upper-level winds over the hurricane are expected to become more favorable for strengthening later on," Avila said Thursday.
Navy meteorology forecast maps predict the storm circling back around to the northwest in a few days and plowing through the Caribbean. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration jet is scheduled to fly surveillance missions ahead of Hurricane Joyce this weekend, gathering data to help forecasters track the storm's path.
Advisories are being issued every six hours, with the next one slated for 11 p.m.
