psu_met's Blog

Hurricane Dean
As of 11pm, 8/19/07: Winds: 145mph G: 180mph
Movement: W 19mph
Pressure: 925mb (27.31in.)
Position: 135 WSW of Kingston, Jamaica

Numerous Hurricane/Tropical Storm watches and warnings have been issued.

Dean's eye passed just to the south of Jamaica and spared the island of CAT 4 winds. However, most of the island will still see CAT 2-3 winds and severe damage is still expected. Add up to 20in. of rain and you have the makings of a lot of destruction. Still, it could have been much worse.

Dean finally has only one eye-wall again around 15 N mi. and the pressure has dropped since 5pm. This could mean another round of intensification is about to begin. Dean will continue racing to the west Monday passing south of the Cayman Islands. The models have shifted even further south today and landfall in Mexico seems likely. As the track shifts south Dean will be over the Yucatan longer and over the Gulf of Mexico less. This will help reduce the intensity when he does hit Mexico.