Joyce path as yet unknown
Publication: Weekend Nation
Paper Section And Page: 7
Paper Date: Fri, Sep 29, 2000
A HIGH ALTITUDE Hurricane Hunter aircraft is to investigate Hurricane Joyce tomorrow afternoon in order to help forecasters determine the path of this "potentially dangerous" cyclone, said experts.
Yesterday Joyce’s speed increased to 14 miles per hour (mph) from 12 mph, as the top wind speed decreased from 90 mph to 85 mph.
Joyce’s movement has been baffling experts and their hi-tech computer models which are showing two different scenarios. One is that she will barrel across the Caribbean island chain and the other is that she will curve north and skirt the islands.
"It is impossible to know at this point which scenario, if either, will verify," hurricane specialist James Franklin of the National Hurricane Centre said yesterday.
"A tentative tasking has been made for the NOAA Gulfstream jet to fly synoptic surveillance missions ahead of Joyce over the weekend to help resolve these questions," he added.
Yesterday, Joyce deviated from her westward track and turned west-southwest and the centre said she would continue on this direction until tomorrow when she was expected to begin curving to the north.
According to the forecast track at 5 p.m., yesterday, that track will bring the centre of Joyce perilously close (57 miles) to the south-east coast of Barbados on Sunday afternoon but this position can change with each six-hour forecast.