Dean Dashes Toward Mexico’s Yucatan

Parts of Mexico were under a hurricane warning Monday as Dean washed over Jamacia and took aim at the Yucatan Penninsula.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the Category 4 storm was moving westward at about 21 miles per hour and was likely to strengthen to Category 5 status by the time it hit the mainland.

Dean’s sustained winds were howling at nearly 150 miles per hour Monday. Hurricane force winds extended out 60 miles.

Much of Mexico’s Gulf Coast was under tropical storm warnings while the government of Belize extended its hurricane warning south to the Guatemala border.

Tropical storm warnings remained in effect in Jamaica after the brunt of the hurricane passed the island.

The Jamaican government declared a state of emergency Sunday night as Dean passed to the south. Power on the entire island had been shut off and streets were clogged with debris, however, there were no reports of fatalities. About nine people were killed during the weekend as Dean crossed the eastern Caribbean.