Storm Omar Intensifies on Path Toward Virgin Islands

By Brian K. Sullivan

Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Omar ``rapidly intensified'' today in the Caribbean south of Puerto Rico, and forecasters say it may strike the Virgin Islands later this week.

Omar's sustained winds increased to almost 70 miles (110 kilometers) per hour from 50 mph earlier today, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory just before 5 p.m. Miami time.

Omar is moving east-northeast at 7 mph as it lashes the islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire with winds and rain.

The storm may pass east of Puerto Rico as a hurricane and threaten the Hovensa refinery in the Virgin Islands, Joe Bastardi, a meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania, said in a newsletter. The U.S. hurricane center's latest forecast also shows Omar sweeping through the Virgin Islands.

The Hovensa refinery exported 338,000 barrels a day of refined products to the mainland U.S. in July, according to U.S. Energy Department records. The refinery is jointly owned by Hess Corp. of New York and Venezuela's state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA.

While the storm is affecting refinery shipping, it isn't expected to affect operations, Alex Moorhead, spokesman for the Hovensa refinery, said today.

``We do not anticipate the need to shut down the refinery'' due to the storm, he said, adding officials will monitor the forecasts. ``The coast guard shut the harbor to incoming traffic earlier today and we expect them to do the same this evening with respect to outgoing traffic.''

Venezuela Blackout

The storm caused a blackout yesterday in eastern Venezuela, knocking part of the Puerto La Cruz refinery off line, Petroleos de Venezuela said today in an e-mailed statement. Activity was halted at the port of Jose, one of the country's main oil terminals, the company said.

The hurricane center's track shows the storm striking the U.S. Virgin Islands by Oct. 16 and possibly strengthening into a hurricane the same day.

Hurricane watches and tropical storm warnings have been issued for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, St. Kitts, Anguilla, Nevis, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy. A tropical storm watch was issued for Montserrat, while another for the eastern Dominican Republic was dropped.

The Netherlands Antilles islands may get at least 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain, with as much as 12 inches possible in some areas.

Tropical Depression

In the western Caribbean, a low-pressure area developed into a tropical depression off the coast of Honduras, the hurricane center said. The storm has sustained winds of 30 mph and is moving west-northwest at 5 mph.

The system may become a tropical storm as soon as tonight, and is forecast to drop as much as 15 inches of rain on parts of Nicaragua and Honduras, a hurricane center statement said.

Omar became the 15th tropical storm of the June 1-Nov. 30 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricanes have sustained winds of at least 74 mph.

Forecasters said this season may have an above-average number of storms. Colorado State University researchers expect at least 17 major storms, including nine hurricanes, while the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center said there would be 14 to 18 named storms.

From 1944 to 2005, an average of 10 named storms formed by November, with six of those strengthening into hurricanes, according to the center's Web site.

To contact the reporters on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net