Beyond Katrina

Hurricane Ike Crosses Cuba After Making Landfall in Northeast

Sept. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Ike is crossing Cuba after smashing into the northeast of the country with winds of 205 kilometers (125 miles) per hour, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Continue>>>

...IKE MAKES LANDFALL IN EASTERN CUBA...

000
WTNT64 KNHC 080149
TCUAT4
HURRICANE IKE TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL   AL092008
950 PM EDT SUN SEP 07 2008

...IKE MAKES LANDFALL IN EASTERN CUBA...

THE EYE OF HURRICANE IKE MADE LANDFALL ON THE NORTH COAST OF EASTERN
CUBA IN THE PROVINCE OF HOLGUIN...NEAR PUNTO DE SAMA AROUND 0945 PM
EDT...0145 UTC.  MAXIMUM WINDS AT LANDFALL WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 125
MPH...205 KM/HR.

$$
FORECASTER PASCH/KIMBERLAIN

Powerful Hurricane Ike looms as trouble for Gulf

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — Powerful Hurricane Ike rolled down an uncertain path Sunday that may lead to the U.S. Gulf Coast late this week, forcing emergency officials to pay attention and leaving millions of people from Florida to Mexico to wonder where it will eventually strike. Continue>>>

...IKE REGAINS CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE STRENGTH...

and here is the current track forecast - 5 day cone. I don't like the looks of it.

Category 4 Gustav heads for US after pounding Cuba

HAVANA (AP) — Gustav roared into the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico as a ferocious Category 4 hurricane Sunday after destroying homes and roads in Cuba. The mayor of New Orleans ordered residents to flee the "storm of the century" by morning. Continue>>>

Gustav batters Jamaica, expected to strengthen

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Gustav's winds and rain blasted Jamaica early Friday and the storm's path was expected to take it to Grand Cayman later in the day, according to the National Hurricane Center. Gustav could grow into a major hurricane -- a Category 3 storm -- by the time it reaches western Cuba on Saturday, the NHC said. Continue>>>

Gustav kills 22; US Gulf Coast prepares

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Gustav swirled toward Cuba on Wednesday after triggering flooding and landslides that killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean. Its track pointed toward the U.S. Gulf coast, including Louisiana where Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc three years ago. Continue>>>

Gustav creeps toward Cuba as death toll rises

Tropical storm Gustav crept toward Cuba on Wednesday after slamming the Caribbean as a deadly hurricane a day earlier, killing at least 11 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Heavy squalls continued to batter Haiti on Wednesday after the storm forced hundreds of people from their homes and killed at least three people. Continue>>>

Gustav Imagery: southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba

Tropical Storm Gustav is located southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba. This system is moving toward the northwest near 5 MPH. Maximum sustained winds are near 60 MPH.  GOES-12 4 km infrared imagery.  August 27, 2008  08:01:16

...DEAN REMAINS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE...HEAVY SQUALLS OVER HISPANOLIA

While I wouldn't wish Dean on anyone,  Louisianians can breathe a little better this afternoon as the GFDL model has come into closer alignment with all of the other models predicting a landfall for Dean on the southern Texas/northern Mexico Coast.  Currently Dean remains a category 4 hurricane with initial intensity at 130 kt. Intensity will fluctuate over the next few days as Dean goes through a rapid eyewall replacement cycle. It is likely that Dean will become a Category 5 hurricane somewhere in the northwestern Caribbean and as it approaches the Yucatan.  It is consistently proceeding on a west-northwest to west track in the direction of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. For Dean's potential impact on areas in its track see this post by Dr. Jeff Masters, Weather Underground. The NOAA jet is scheduled to fly this afternoon and on Sunday to investigate Dean. For more information see the National Hurricane Center Website.