At 10 a.m. CDT, t he center of intensifying Hurricane Omar was a little less than 250 mies southwest of the island of St. Croix.
Omar is moving northeast at 9 mph, but is expected to increase its forward speed today.
Tropical storm force winds will reach St. Croix and the southern coast of Puerto Rico around 6 p.m. CDT tonight. Strong tropical storm force winds will start buffeting St. Croix about 4-5 hours later with full hurricane conditions after that as the center passes near or just west of the island.
The center should stay east of Puerto Rico, but any jog to the left could bring hurricane conditions to them.
The center will traverse the U.S. Virgin Islands overnight and early Thursday.
Top winds now are 85 mph, but a period of rapid intensification is possible this afternoon. Omar is expected to be a category two hurricane as it crosses the islands. It could become a three.
Tropical depression 16 is hugging the coast of Honduras as it heads westward or west northwestward. If it moves a little more over water, it may become a tropical storm, and would be named Paloma. It will bring flooding rains and deadly mudslides to Honduras and Nicaragua.
