Ophelia has weakened considerably over the past 24 hours and is expected to become a Tropical Depression as the weekend draws near. However, if Ophelia passes through the shear that it is currently going through intact, weather and water conditions are favourable for strengthening again.

Rob Lightbown writes, “Ophelia is tracking west-northwest at a forward speed of 13 mph and the storm is expected to track north and east of the islands of the northeastern Caribbean with minimal impacts there. The model guidance this morning diverges on where to track Ophelia. The guidance that show a weaker tropical system like the European model forecasts that Ophelia will track as far west as 68 West Longitude before it turns north and northeastward. The other guidance like the GFS and GFDL models forecast a deeper storm and turn the storm to the north near 64 or 65 West Longitude.

Since Ophelia is weakening at such a quick pace, I believe that the people in Bermuda needn’t worry about being hit by her. However, I know how sometimes weather systems seem to have a mind of their own and can change at the last minute. It is always advised that you keep an eye on your local news and weather services to make sure that you get the latest and correct information on any weather systems in and around your area.

Go to Crown Weather Services at www.crownweather.com or the National Hurricane Centre at www.nhc.noaa.gov/ for more information on Ophelia. iNews wishes to thank Crown Weather for their permission to use their images and information. Please support them.