Storm Tammy: 10 Caribbean islands placed under hurricane watch as landfall nears

Tammy is forecast to affect a number of islands, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, Leeward Islands and Dominica, prompting a Foreign Office alert.

The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has put 10 islands on hurricane watch, meaning hurricane conditions are possible within a certain area.

The NHC said: “A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.”

The Foreign Office said the tropical storm was likely to “affect” Antigua and Barbuda from Thursday (19 October). 

It advised British visitors to the islands to monitor local and international weather updates from a range of meteorological organisations, including the Antigua and Barbuda Met Office, the World Meteorological Organisation and the US National Hurricane Centre. 

In September 2017, hurricanes ripped into the island of Barbuda, destroying many buildings. Reconstruction work is still taking place.