Hurricane Dean blasts into Caribbean
Pastor Dale Morgan
Hurricane Dean blasts into Caribbean*
Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:39AM EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hurricane Dean, which could strengthen into a
Category 4 hurricane over the next two days, pounded the eastern
Caribbean islands of Martinique and Dominica as it churned into the
Caribbean Sea on Friday.
All of the weather models show Dean entering the Gulf of Mexico next
week, threatening the region's oil and natural gas facilities, which
account for roughly a third of U.S. oil production.
Two of them, moreover, show Dean hitting the Texas coast, one in the
area of Corpus Christi and the other in the area of Houston, in about
five days.
The weather models only project about five days. Beyond that, the
forecasters say it is too soon to say where the storm, which is just
entering the eastern Caribbean, will ultimately make landfall.
Overnight Dean strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane, with winds near
100 miles per hour.
The center of Dean was located about 50 miles west-southwest of
Martinique, the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory issued at
8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT).
As it crosses the warm waters of the Caribbean, the NHC forecast Dean
would strengthen, turning into a Category 3 storm with winds of 111 to
130 mph in about 24 hours and a Category 4 storm packing winds of 131 to
155 mph in about 48 hours.
Early in the morning of Tuesday next week, Dean should strike the
Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and weaken to a Category 2 storm with winds
of 96 to 110 mph or a Category 3 storm.
After crossing the Yucatan later Tuesday, the NHC projected Dean would
enter the Gulf of Mexico where it will likely gain strength again before
making landfall.
The NHC will issue another advisory on Dean at 11 a.m.