Hurricane Dean Becomes First in the Atlantic, Heading toward the Caribbean

Look out Caribbean, the first hurricane of the season in the Atlantic is heading your way. 

The first hurricane has formed in the Atlantic this season. Hurricane Dean is headed toward the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.

Hurricane DEAN Public Advisory - NOLA

Tracking Hurricane Dean

Hurricane warnings were issued for the islands of Dominica and St. Lucia by their local governments. Hurricane watches were in effect for the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe and its dependencies, Saba and St. Eustaties.

At 5 a.m. EDT, Dean was centered about 485 miles east of Barbados and about 590 miles east of Martinique, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was moving west near 24 mph, and was expected to continue the same path for the next 24 hours. (ABC News)

Amigoe, August 16, 2007: Tropical storm Dean will reach the Caribbean this coming Saturday 

The probable route of Dean that will possibly grow into the first hurricane of the season this coming Friday

WILLEMSTAD – Tropical storm number 4 that is currently in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, contains everything to grow into a hurricane on Friday.  Expectations are that Dean will move as the first hurricane of this season, into the Caribbean on Saturday. 

As it appears now, the areas where the hurricane will travel, will experience 180 kilometers per hour winds.  Besides the north-eastern islands of the Caribbean, also southern Florida and the Bahamas are starting to get worried.  Meteorologists do not exclude the fact that before the depression reaches the Caribbean, it will curve more to the north. 

UPDATE I: Strong hurricane heads for Caribbean

Martinique – Powerful Hurricane Dean tore through the eastern Caribbean on Friday, hitting the islands of St. Lucia and Martinique. Airports closed, coastal hotels were evacuated and tourists hunkered down in shelters.

The Category 2 hurricane was expected to intensify as it enters the warm waters of the Caribbean — heading toward Jamaica.

It was too early to tell whether the storm would eventually strike the United States, but officials were gearing up for the possibility of the season’s most severe storm yet. (Yahoo News)

Caribbean Prepares for Hurricane Dean