Nov. 14, 2005 –– Just when it looked like hurricane season was about over, along comes Tropical Depression 27. It formed late Sunday night and is expected to pass about 200 miles south of the Virgin Islands later Monday.
"We can expect lots of rain and confused seas," National Weather Service meteorologist Ernesto Morales said at 6:30 a.m. from his San Juan office.
The Weather Channel put the probability of rain at 70 percent for Monday and 80 percent for Tuesday.
As of the 5 a.m. update, Tropical Depression 27 is centered is at 13.8 degrees north latitude and 63.2 degrees west longitude. This puts it about 290 miles southeast of St. Croix and 150 miles west of St. Lucia.
The storm has winds of 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph.
It is moving to the west-northwest at 10 mph.
The barometric pressure stands at 1006 millibars or 29.7 inches.
Morales said the territory is on a wind advisory until 10 a.m., which he anticipated will be extended. Morales also said St. Croix recently reported gusts of 45 mph.
Morales said the rain will come in short but heavy bursts, "but they will continue one behind the other," he said.
He said residents should watch out for mud and rock slides caused by the intermittent heavy rains.
"The soil will be saturated by mid-week," Morales said.
Swells will also be a problem. He said that currently, they're coming from the northeast, but as the storm moves south of the territory, they will come from the southeast.
He said forecasters predict the tropical depression will become Tropical Storm Gamma, the third letter of the Greek alphabet.
This record-breaking hurricane season used up all 21 names on the list prepared in advance, forcing forecasters to use the letters in the Greek alphabet.
Hurricane season continues through Nov. 30. The season peaks in mid-September, but it is not unusual to see storms form through October, into November and even in non-hurricane season months.
In 1999, the territory was lashed Nov. 17 with Hurricane Lenny, a Category 4 storm that caused extensive damage.
And, on Nov. 30, 2004, the last day of the official hurricane season, Tropical Storm Otto formed about 810 miles east of Bermuda.

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