Aug. 1, 2006 – Tropical Storm Chris is currently on a track to pass 40 miles north of St. Thomas and St. John at around 5 p.m. Wednesday, but meteorologist Shawn Rossi at the National Weather Service in San Juan warned that the storm could pass closer to the northern Virgin Islands.
"It's subject to change," he said at 6:15 a.m. Tuesday.
He said sustained winds will be at 50 mph with gusts to 60 mph.
"It's a pretty strong tropical storm," he said.
A tropical storm watch was issued at 5 a.m. for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. A tropical storm watch means that a tropical storm is possible within the next 36 hours.
Chris, the first storm of the 2006 hurricane season to threaten the Virgin Islands, formed as a depression just after midnight Tuesday. It was upgraded to a tropical storm at 4 a.m.
At the 5 a.m. update, Chris was centered at 16.6 degrees north latitude and 59.2 degrees west longitude. This puts it about 175 miles east of Antigua.
Winds had reached 40 mph, with gusts to 50 mph.
Tropical storm force winds extend out 35 miles.
It is moving to the west-northwest at 9 mph.
The barometric pressure stands at 1009 millibars or 29.79 inches.
A U.S. Air Force Reserve aircraft is expected to fly into the storm Tuesday afternoon to provide more accurate information on Chris.
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