TS Chantal Strengthens Slightly In Atlantic
MIAMI (CBS MIAMI) -- A hurricane hunter plane flew over Tropical Storm Chantal Monday evening as the storm continued to churn across the western Atlantic Ocean.
As of 11 p.m., the system was about 235 miles east-southeast of Barbados and 345 miles east-southeast of St. Lucia. It had sustained winds of 50 miles per hour and is moving to the west-northwest at 26 miles per hour.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico and the southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the border with Haiti.
A Tropical Storm Watch is issued for Saint Vincent, Vieques and Culebra, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the northern coast of the Dominican Republic from north of Cabo Engano to Cabo Frances Viejo, and Haiti.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said Chantal is expected to maintain the current forward speed and begin tracking to the west-northwest.
Hurricane reconnaissance aircraft found tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 90 miles from the north and center of Chantal.
The NHC said Chantal should reach the Lesser Antilles early Tuesday and then move into the eastern Caribbean See later Tuesday and be near the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
