Tropical Depression 5 - this morning - if the forward progress of this storm is stalled then the wind velocity will rise significantly if the northerly mass consolidates in the tropical depression. Click image for larger view

Haiti expecting Hurricane Emily this Saturday

Haiti expecting Hurricane Emily this Saturday

Tropical Depression 5 this morning hit almost 40mph and is forecast to be a "Category 2" hurricane when it reaches Haiti this Saturday.

Tropical storms have had a deadly impact on Haiti since the U.S. installed Coup Government placed a higher priority on repressing the supporters of the democratically elected government of President Jean Betrand Aristide than on meeting the public safety needs of the nation.

Tropical Depression 5 could get named later today as "Tropical Storm Emily" as it should pick up speed and approach the Lesser Antilles. It's not expected to reach hurricane speed until after the storm arrives in the Caribbean. However, if the forward progress of the storm is stalled then the wind velocity will rise significantly if the northerly mass consolidates in the tropical depression. At this time the tropical depression is not well organized. It appears that the current discussion is that it is premature to upgrade this formation as a "tropical storm."

The "easterly shear" could affect the formation either way - with a significant increase or decrease in strength. Right now the most significant influence on the formation is it's forward progress. It's forecast that there will be an increase in forward speed as the formation "moves away from the influence of broad cyclonic flow over the Eastern Atlantic and becomes more embedded in a deep easterly steering current."

The forecast is that the potential new hurricane will travel over Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti Eastern Cuba and the Bahamas before hitting Florida.