Just came across this:



More info at Weather.com, NOAA and Storm Carib

If I read this table right, we have about a 12% chance of tropical storm wind speeds Sunday, Monday, and maybe Tuesday and several inches of rain.

Batten down the hatches!

Here's another great link
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200706.html

I prefer this one - first look every morning in hurrican season http://hurricane.accuweather.com/hurricane/index.asp

Results for Bonaire (12.15N, 68.28W):
The approximate Closest Point of Approach (CPA) is located near 13.5N, 68.0W or about 92.0 miles (148.1 km) from your location. The estimated time of when the center of the storm will be at that location is in about 25.1 hours (Sunday, September 2 at 6:06AM EDT). Be patient for the map to be generated below.

www.stormcarib.com

Annie and Brigitte, Can you please keep Bonaire home-owners like myself posted as to what is going on if you are on Bonaire???. I am off island now and am very worried for my doggie about the degree of lightening and thunder (Of which he is afraid). My friend Siomara is looking after the house and my dog but the more detail perhaps the less worried I will be. thanks so much, pauline

We have the first clouds and some rain - just got info from Margarita Island, where the main clouds are right now. They have lots of rain, but not really a lot of wind (the island is like Bonaire used to quite strong winds) - thunder storms yes, they have.
We got just an advisory from the tourist office - I will keep you posted as long as electricity is working ..... I would not be surprised, a big rain shower and electricity is gone ...

DISCUSSION: Tropical Depression #6 has strenhgthend during the night to Tropical Storm Felix. Felix is expected to continue to further strengthen in the next 24 hours. Due to the expected close passage of the storm, it has been decided to issue a Tropical Storm Warning for the ABC islands as from 5:00 AM September 1.

EFFECT ON LOCAL CONDITIONS: Felix continues to move westward and is expected to pass closely to the north of the ABC islands during the morning hours of Sunday as a strong Tropical Storm. During its passage Felix is expected to affect these islands with mainly rough sea conditions and local heavy showers. Even though it is expected that the ABC islands will remain south of the Tropical Storm wind field, during showers some strong gusty winds may occur up to tropical storm strength.
Owners of small craft and coastal facilities are advised to secure their properties.

WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT: Tropical Storm Warning for the Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba is in effect.
Small Craft Warning is in effect for Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba and surrounding waters .

Thanks Brigitte!! Keep it coming! I am already less worried. pauline

Just saw this article on yahoo

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070901/ts_nm/storm_felix_dc

Another good website: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tlh/tropical/
This site has a link to the weather radar and
Meteorological Service (local forecasts) on Curacao.
Hope y'all stay clear!

It only rained for about 1 hour and nothing since. When you look at the satelite picture http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/satelliteworld/caribbeansatellite_large.html it looks like the big cloud will be close really only tonight.

The local weather forecast is not updated very often, so not really useful , what is on now is the same since early this morning http://www.weather.an/

I forgot, the satelite link I gave is updated every 30 minutes ! Very useful .........

Hi
Just got through watching the weather channel and they are saying by Sunday morning it will be a cat 1 hurricane, that puts in very close to the ABC's!

Just got 2 messages from the TCB - the local government is certainly careful and alert ....

Find press release issued by the Island Government attached.



A press conference was held this morning by the Governor, more focused on advising the community to be alert.



Additional noteworthy information:

n The center of the tropical storm is expected to pass around 2am.

n Prior to that, the island will experience a lot of rain and wind already. These are the two factors that need to be taken into account. Barbados and Grenada have received up to 600ml in a short timeframe, as result of Felix.

n Small boats need to be on land. Bigger boats need to be in the marina at “Jachthaven”.

n It is advised not to be on the streets / outdoors as per midnight tonight.

n The areas of Punt Vierkant and Belnem need to be especially alert, considering the fact that we will be experiencing wind from the south west.

n Another press conference will be organized later today.


AND

Please take notice of the below and be advised of the following;



- Especially hotels located on the waterfront, please be prepared and have a plan ready for guests’ evacuation of rooms etc.

- TCB has conducted a quick phone survey and most hotels do have a plan and are prepared. If you haven’t done so yet and need advice, please contact the Fire Department at 717-8580, they will be able to guide you.

- For emergencies, questions etc., the helpline is also 717-8580.

- So far, there have been no amendments in flight schedules.

- Please advise guests of the situation, that they need to be prepared and will probably be without electricity during some hours (after midnight), as the authorities decide to pull the plug as a measure of precaution.

- No specific shelters have been appointed for tourists, so far, as it seems that most accommodation providers have covered this in their plans and thus the need does not exist. “Centro di Bario’s” will function as shelters for the local community (and tourists if needed).

With the Tropical Storm so close, BE SAFE AND TAKE CARE!!!!!!!!

Hi
The Weather Channel has just upgraded the tropical storm to a Cat 1 hurricane!
The projected path will put it just north of Bonaire about 2 am tonight!

We live at 12.17 Felix is at 12.6... Very quiet here at the moment. Just a breath of wind.

The web site I am watching is
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200706.html

Hang in there Susan and all on Bonaire!

T-2,5 hours.

Still very quiet. It seems like the wind is slightly picking up. From nothing (like we had all day) to about half of what we normally have. Windows and shutters are closed. Cars are inside. We are awaiting what comes our way. Hopefully we can report tomorrow that all is well. It's very strange to be sitting here on our porch awaiting a big storm in very quiet weather (we call this 'the silence before the storm' in Dutch)

Bas,
Here is southeast Texas it is called "the quite before the storm" Same thing just a little different words. Hope and pray all on Bonaire are safe and that the island doesn't get hit to bad.
Andy

Well, just take a big dump and hold on.

Yikes, the center of the storm looks closer to Bon than I had envisioned it would be on the earlier maps...
Looks like the power is out like they planned...
Hang in there everyone! Hope you are all safe!

any news?

It's raining since about 1 hours, but not heavy .. yet ??.. no wind gusts ... yet ? There was just a briefing on TeleCuracao , there eye of the storm is further away from the islands than first expected, but the storm itself is growing, once the eye has past the island, we will certainly experience some storm guests and heavy rainfall

.... and as you see my posting, electricity is still on, at least in Belnem. The government of Bonaire anounced earlier, if they think it necessary, they will switch electricy off

Thank you for keeping us apprised of the storm status, Bridgette...let's hope Felix continues to go north and west quickly. We do hope all will be well with everyone on Bonaire and her waters, land and critters, too. Carole

Had a few hours sleep and find that Felix is a cathegory 2 now ! Here still raining, but not hard and the wind is much less than we are used to have in a normal month of May ..... the eye is now past us but there still could be something coming ... I do not live ocean front, so no idea about the waves .........

Thanks for the updates.

http://www.bonairewebcams.com/YellowSubPierCam.php

It is cold for Bonaire standards - just 24c/78F !

I saved the last to Felix satelite pictures, and yes, he is growing and barely moving !

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my favorite tropical weather reporter. http://www.crownweather.com/tropical.html

Hi Folks,

Here's an official statement:

BONAIRE
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
HURRICANE FELIX


Kralendijk, Bonaire – September 2, 2007 – 0845 EST – Statement from Lt. Governor H. Domacasse:

Hurricane Felix passed north of the island of Bonaire in the early hours of the morning, causing sustained rain and winds, but resulting in no major incidents.

The local population and visitors remained in their homes and hotels overnight. No calls were received on the emergency line set up in preparation for the storm. It is currently not raining, but more rain is expected later in the day.

Flamingo Airport remained open throughout the night, with the KLM flight from Amsterdam landing at 12:50 am and taking off on schedule at 4:25am. American Eagle and Continental flights will operate later today.


Contact: Candice Kimmel
candice@adams-pr.com
646-621-0700

Very glad to hear it.

All seems well here on the island. It certainly is here on the hill overlooking Kralendijk. We had tons of rain but the winds were less strong than expected. No damage at all over here hope the same goes for the rest of the island.

hi, posting from Newark airport... Continental 1553 took off at 11:55 last night, flew for 3 hours or so, then said the winds were going to be too bad to land. So it was 3 more hours back to Newark

A bit surprising, then, to hear about the airport staying open and the KLM flight departing normally when we were supposed to land! Obviously it's more difficult to land in a crosswind than take off in one, but I guess if the pilots don't feel it safe...

We're supposed to leave again at 11, to arrive at 3:30.

In Belnem we can not speak about tons of rain ... just rain .... If it would have been a tropical rain, one can barely see the house on the other side of the street. Winds were much less than our normal winds in April or May.
Just got a TCB message again

Good morning!



The impact of Felix was far less than what it could have been.



From the Governor:

According to the Governor, there were practically no particularities. No urgent matters were reported through the special help-line either. Furthermore,

no evacuations were necessary.



Overall, there was rain and wind, but the situation was more positive than what it could have been. Water will remain somewhat less calm during

the following hours and more rain is expected today.





From the airport:

- American Eagle and Continental postponed their flights to a later timeframe today.

- KLM Quito flight arrived and departed this morning.

- Curacao airport is closed and traffic from/via Curacao is disrupted. It is not known until what time this will remain.





Overall, we were fortunate and damages are at a minimum.



The attached, will be sent to news networks in the USA. Considering the heavy coverage of hurricanes and hence Felix, we will send this update now.







Thank you for your cooperation.



Regards and enjoy your Sunday,



Ronella

Hi Clay, I was tracking the flight as the Newark bound is our flight back home. Continental did not update their flight status even after I found out they were flying back. Oh well, people were in high spirits though and grateful that it was nothing destructive.

It is cloudy and windy right now with waves pounding the promenade. The further south, the larger the action. I hope Karel's bar is faring well.

No diving today. No boats going out and many places closed their piers. It will be a few days before the sediment settles down.

Hang in there Bonaire bound passengers, you'll be here soon.

I`m out of the island for 5 days, any damage on Bonaire ?

I just did a drive-around, and saw little to no damage along the coast. Some standing water, but no more than we normally get with any persistent rain. No wind damage to speak of.

Some dive shops had wisely taken some planks out of their docks to let the waves' energy flow through. When the current slight wind reversal ends, I'm sure they'll be putting back the planks, and it will be business as usual.

Although I didn't cover the entire island, I didn't see any docks that had any substantial damage.

It appears all is well.

Susan

Good news Bas. Although we didn't want to leave yesterday, it seems that we got out in time. Don't know if our friends Mark and Laura were able to leave this morning; according to AE info we received, their flight has been delayed until Sun eve. at 8:00PM.

There is good news out of this...

I havent seen Bonaire mentioned some many times in National news stories...ever. I just read a front page article on MSNBC.com and Bonaire was mentioned alot.

I like to see this, although I wish it was for another reason. :/

J

Someone on island did report a sailboat up on the beach up by Sand Dollar in the area where the new Divi resort (old Sunset Beach spot) is being built. Guess they did not take heed and drydock her before the storm.

All in all it sounds like Bonaire had the appropriate spirits and gods looking after her with Felix. Good news all around. Carole

Yeah!!!!!!

Just saw on the news that Felix is now a Category 4 hurricane.
~~~~~~~~~Good vibes~~~~~~~~~ to all in its path.

Even worse, a category 4 it was , not it is a category 5 !!!
I mentioned it this afternoon, Felix was not moving for several hours, just growing. Something like that happend a few years ago, a tropical wave passed, and than just behind Aruba it was nearly stationary for several days and just growing and became a very powerful hurrican.... I think it was Mitch, but I am not sure

Yes indeed, up to Cat. 5.
Watch out for this one....
Be safe,
mare

Certainly glad that Bonaire made it through unscathed. I wish all those traveling and living in Felix's path God Speed and safety.

Thank you for all of the on-island updates Bas, Brigette, and Susan.

just returned from Bonaire on the Continental flight that had us home 11 hours late. We hit unexpected turbulence in flight and dropped quickly causing a passenger to fall, things to spill and flight attendants to crouch in the aisle. Added to the fact that although we were safe the ceiling leaked all night on our bed and and on the floor . well not exactly all night continental didn't cancel the 6am flight till we got to the airport at 4am. then they told us to check in ,check luggage and leave the airport till 2:30pm. we finally left Bonaire at 4:30 pm. WHAT A DAY!i know this may not be sequential but then again i haven't had much sleep. But despite it all ,can't wait to return.

We're happy to hear Bonaire avoided the worst of it - for all the residents, businesses and visitors. Even in central North Carolina, USA, we can 'apprecaite' the wrath of hurricanes.

Can someone share their experiences on whether this can make a dramatic impact on the visibility and/or currents? And for approximately how many days?

We hope to arrive for our first on the 8th.

Thank you!

Eric

Egads Karen, I can picture that flightmare..Wow...I think I would have passed out or wet myself...when AE drops a little poor Maggie's hand is nearly broken.

Just want to mention how impressed we were with the calmness and professionalism of all the employees of the Divi.Sara is terrific and has a great staff. The front desk Mirna and Franz, kept us updated day and night. Kudos to all! As our cab driver said. "Its Bonaire,just be happy.besides they needed a soaking rain."

Eric,
check out Roger Burnham's video.
I hope the vis clears soon,
mare

Hey Karen, that was some flight uh? My wife was holding my hand very hard, more so after seeing the other pilot bolting into the cockpit. Just seeing the flight attendants crouching and holding onto things with clenched teeth was enough to chill your blood.

Like you, we can't wait to return. I hope the gentleman that fell is ok.

Coach Izzy

It is amazing how the media in the US as well as Europe exagerate and publish completely wrong information. I heard it myself on CNN - Bonaire had trees unrooted and lots of flooding on all three islands - just thought what a nonsense.
Than quite a number of concerned guests wrote to us so I looked Felix up at a number of news papers from Europe and the US - all the same nonsense. I guess, just one journalist from AP wrote something and everybody took it without thinking or double checking.

Hey Brigitte! I just got a call from a friend who had seen on TV that Bonaire got "slammed by a category 5!" Oh my...

A Cat 5 on Bonaire...nooooooo!!!! I need to cancel my Oct trip now.... I thought it passed...this is horrible!!!!!!!!!

Jason - you probably won't be able to get your money back for cancelling your October trip so I will generously go in your place. And you don't even have to pay for my food - I'll do that myself because that's the kind of selfless individual I am.

I don't think Jason is paying attention to the sequence of events...

Izzy-about your post above...what happened on the flight?

Jason is just full of BS.


Have fun in Oct, buddy. Wish I could join you.

Herman,

I resemble such remark!!

Ruby, let's just say that when you see panic in the faces of the flight attendants, then you know things are really serious. Everything worked out alright though. Looking forward to our return.