I need a magnifying glass! :)
Very short version - Dean’s slowing down a bit (motion down to 23 mph) but still packing 100 mph winds, and with the Hunters back in the soup, the pressure’s dropped a bit - now down to 970 mb.
...Dean moving away from Lesser Antilles and strengthening...
a Hurricane Warning remains in effect for Martinique...Dominica... and Guadeloupe and its dependencies. The warning will likely be discontinued later today.
A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. A Tropical Storm Warning also remains in effect for the following islands of the Lesser Antilles...Saba...St. Eustatius...Montserrat...Antigua...Nevis...St Kitts...Barbuda...St. Maarten...and Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.
At 11 am AST...1500 UTC...the Hurricane Warning for St. Lucia has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm Warning.
At 11 am AST...1500 UTC...the government of the Dominican Republic has changed the tropical storm watch to a Tropical Storm Warning along the South Coast from Cabo engano to the Haiti/Dominican Republic border. A Hurricane Watch has been issued from Cabo Beata to the Haiti/Dominican Republic border.
At 11 am AST...1500 UTC...a Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch has been issued for Haiti from the Haiti/Dominican Republic border to Port-au-Prince.
A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area...generally within 36 hours.
At 11am AST...1500 UTC...the Tropical Storm Warning for Grenada and its dependencies has been discontinued.
Interests elsewhere in the central and western Caribbean...including Jamaica and the Cayman Islands...should closely monitor the progress of Dean.
For storm information specific to your area...please monitor products issued by your local weather office.
At 1100 am AST...1500z...the eye of Hurricane Dean was located near latitude 14.6 north...longitude 62.6 west or about 105 miles... 170 km...west of Martinique and about 350 miles...565 km...southeast of San Juan Puerto Rico.
Dean is moving toward the west near 21 mph...33 km/hr...and this motion is expected to continue during the next 24 hours. This track will keep Dean over the eastern Caribbean Sea today.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 105 mph...165 km/hr...with higher gusts. Dean is a category two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours and Dean is forecast to become a major hurricane.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 25 miles...35 km...from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 185 miles...295 km.
Latest minimum central pressure recently reported by an Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft was 964 mb...28.47 inches.
Storm total amounts of 1 to 2 inches can be expected from Dean over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic...with maximum amounts up to 5 inches. Additional rainfall accumulations of 1 to 2 inches are expected in the Lesser Antilles...with isolated maximum amounts of 10 inches in mountainous areas. These rains could cause life- threatening flash floods and mudslides.
Repeating the 1100 am AST position...14.6 N...62.6 W. Movement toward...west near 21 mph. Maximum sustained winds...105 mph. Minimum central pressure...964 mb.
An intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 200 PM AST followed by the next complete advisory at 500 PM AST.
$$ Forecaster Avila/Mainelli
Movement toward...west near 21 mph. Maximum sustained winds...105 mph. Minimum central pressure...964 mb.