Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Tropical Storm Chantal Threatens Island Communities in the Caribbean

Aired August 19, 2001 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: We begin in the Caribbean, where warm waters are fueling Tropical Storm Chantal now, as it menaces island communities. The storm is just short of becoming a hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of about 70 miles an hour. Hurricanes means 74. People in Belize, parts of the Yucatan Peninsula and the Caymans are on alert now.

For the latest, let's turn to Brad Huffines on this now severe weather system -- Brad.

BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Stephen you know, we are looking at hairs and imagine taking a knife and splitting that hair in half -- that' the difference between Tropical Storm Chantal and Hurricane Chantal, four miles per hour officially.

Well, and this storm right here -- this storm has continued to move to the west at a fairly good clip. Upper level winds, those winds you hear about all the time meteorologist talk about are keeping Chantal a disorganized storm, but a disorganized 70 miles per hour wind is still a 70 miles per hour wind, regardless. So, the storm is still packing quite a punch is still heading toward what looks to be somewhere around Cancun, Mexico, as either a strong tropical storm or as a hurricane.

Here are the latest coordinates on the storm: 16.5 north, 82.0 west. For those of you playing along at home, winds are 70 miles an hour, pressure now 1,005 millibars. It's a fairly high pressure, and the Hurricane Center has been watching this very carefully. They keep flying planes into it, and as of right now, they still say it's a very disorganized storm.

The computer models are saying that the storm should strengthen over the next couple of days, and that's why the official forecast continues to call for it to be a hurricane within about 24 hours or sometime in the next 24 hours, moving into the Gulf of Mexico by 2:00 Wednesday afternoon, and that could pose some problems for the United States.

Meanwhile, tropical storm warnings for still in effect for the Cayman Islands and a hurricane watch for Cancun to Belize City, as they begin to prepare for landfall of Chantal, Stephen, as a potential hurricane. One to watch, and we will, all evening long here on CNN, Stephen. FRAZIER: Moving today, Brad, just as you predicted last night, nice call.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com