At 10 a.m., the NHC is finished with advisories on Tropical Depression Erin, which is inland over South Texas.
Hurricane Dean is intensifying in the Atlantic…
QUICK FACTS…10 a.m. CDT
LOCATION: 13.7N/54.3W of 350 miles east of Barbados and 455 miles east of Martinique.
MOVEMENT: very fast to the west at 23 mph
MAX WINDS: 90 mph (category 1)
CENTRAL PRESSURE: 979 mb (28.91 inches)
Dean will continue to intensify today, becoming a major hurricane tomorrow.
It will pass through the central Lesser Antilles, around Martinique tomorrow evening. Dominica wil be in the right front quadrant. St. Lucia will receive a severe impact also. A variety of watches and warnings have been issued by the meteorological services responsible for the various islands.
FUTURE TRACK
Dean will likely become a Category Four hurricane over the NW Caribbean over the weekend. It targets the Yucatan next Monday night, then into the Gulf. A fly in the ointment is an upper low that is expected to hang around the Bahamas and Eastern Gulf. This could kick the hurricane to the northwest, instead of following a westerly course towards Mexico. Needless to say, it will be an interesting weekend and week next week.
COULD IT THREATEN THE NORTHERN GULF COAST?
It is way too early to tell. A lot can happen between now and early next week. If the pattern does not change, it is not possible. But if the ridge weakens, all bets will be off.
