BONNIE close to landfall over Nicaragua

| Storm Report 2022

From west to east:

Disturbance Eight slipped ashore into central Texas like a thief in the night albeit quite a wet one as it is set to produce heavy rainfall across south-eastern Texas and south-western Louisiana over the next day or two.

After days of prevarication, fast-moving and indecisive Disturbance Six has finally been upgraded to tropical storm BONNIE. The cyclone has reduced engine revs and taken off some headway to give convection an eleventh hour opportunity. Situated just under 300 miles off Bluefields in southern Nicaragua moving west at 15 knots, BONNIE will make a landfall over southern Nicaragua tonight with winds gusting 55 knots. As things stand, there is only a little intensification likely to take place between now and landfall. After crossing central America, the cyclone is expected to intensify (and will be renamed DARBY) and sweep to the north-west, perhaps reaching hurricane intensity bringing heavy rainfall, flash flooding and strong winds to the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Disturbance Seven is passing over Barbados now as it moves to the west-nor’west at 18 knots. This is still rather disorganised and is not expected to develop significantly as it tracks across the islands of the eastern Caribbean including the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico overnight tonight. Irrespective of development, this will bring increasing thunderstorms and gusty winds across the eastern Caribbean. I’m surprised that I’m still a lone voice warning that this could enter the Gulf of Mexico next week and would urge a weather eye is kept on this.

Stand by for tropical storm conditions across southern Nicaragua.