Tropical Storm Arthur Slams Belize, Mexico
Pastor Dale Morgan
Tropical Storm Arthur Slams Belize, Mexico*
By William Ysaguirre
Associated Press Writer
June 01, 2008
AMBERGIS CAYE, Belize - A tropical storm formed Saturday off the
Yucatan Peninsula and quickly made landfall along the border of Belize
and Mexico, dumping rain and kicking up surf.
The first named storm of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Arthur was
moving northwest across the Yucatan with maximum sustained winds near 40
mph , according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It formed one
day before the official start of the season June 1.
The storm hit land near the Mexican port city of Chetumal, dumping rain
as far south as Belize City and kicking up strong surf on the popular
tourist island of Ambergis Caye.
Tropical storm warnings were issued for Belize and Mexico's Caribbean
coastline.
In the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, which includes the popular resort
of Cancun, ports were closed and all water sports were banned. Residents
and tourists were encouraged to take precautions in coastal areas, said
state Civil Protection Director Carlos Rodriguez Hoy.
Ports were also closed on the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres and in
Chetumal.
Rodriguez said authorities expected rains of up to a little more than 1
inch due to the passing remnants of Arthur.
The storm was projected to weaken as it crosses Yucatan before moving
out into the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical depression early Sunday.
There was chance it could strengthen back into a tropical storm before
hitting Mexico's southern Atlantic coast on Wednesday, said Jamie Rhome,
a meteorologist with the Hurricane Center. But it was not expected to
become a hurricane.
At 2:00 p.m. EDT the storm's center was located about 50 miles northwest
of Belize City.
The storm was expected to stay well away from the U.S. Gulf Coast. "This
is not a danger to the United States," said Rhome.
Associated Press writer Jorge Dominguez in Cancun, Mexico, contributed
to this report.