The circulation around Tropical Depression Bill brought strong storms to the Lower Ohio River Valley on Friday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Tropical Depression Bill was located at latitude 37.1°N and longitude 90.1°W which put it about 30 miles (50 km) west of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  Bill was moving toward the east-northeast at 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 25 m.p.h., but there were higher gusts in thunderstorms.  The minimum surface pressure was 1004 mb.

The circulation around Tropical Depression Bill retained enough tropical characteristics on Friday to be considered a tropical cyclone.  There was still evidence of a warm core in the middle troposphere with a strong center of circulation at the surface and divergent outflow in the upper levels.  Spiral bands of showers and thunderstorms continued to rotate cyclonically around the center, and some thunderstorms approached severe criteria.  A stationary frontal boundary ran from New Jersey across Ohio to central Missouri.  However, the circulation around the tropical depression was south of the boundary and it was clearly a distinct area of low pressure.

Tropical Depression Bill is expected to continue its east-northeasterly motion during the weekend.  It will pass south of Ohio on Saturday and cross New Jersey on Sunday.  The tropical depression will continue to produce locally heavy rainfall and the potential for isolated severe thunderstorms.