Eye of Hurricane Dean Moves Slightly South!

Jamaica is still on a hurricane warning.

Dean is still a category 4 hurricane and further strengthening is expected, as it moves across the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.

According to The National Meteorological Service of Jamaica (National Met Service) and The Weather Channel:

"As of 7am (Eastern time), the centre of Hurricane Dean was located near 16.8 degrees North, 74.3 degrees West, which is about 225 km (140 miles) East-Southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.

Maximum sustained winds are near 233 km (145 miles) per hour. Dean is moving to the West-Northwest near 29 km (18 miles) per hour.

The outer periphery of Dean is impacting the southern coast of the island of Hispaniola (the island on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located) and Puerto Rico, but Dean will more forcibly impact Jamaica and the Cayman Islands Sunday morning into Monday. Dean could be the strongest hurricane to strike Jamaica since 1950's."

Dean is due to hit Jamaica at about  2:00 p.m. this afternoon. It will follow a path close to the south of the island.

Dean spans about 329 km (205 miles) wide. (This means that Jamaica will be affected by strong gale-force winds, even though the eye of Dean is projected to move slightly south of the island.)

We are currently being affected by the outer bands of Dean,and we've been having moderate rain and slight breezes since 8:00 p.m. last night.

Please click The Weather Channel link, here, to get an up-to-the-hour projected track for Hurricane Dean. (You have to refresh your browser for this to happen, though.)

You can also check the Bulletins at the National Met Service, online, here - the next one will be posted at 11:00 a.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time).

Jamaicans are still praying that we will be spared from the worst.  But we have also prepared to meet Dean.

Electricity which was supposed to have been shut down at 10:00 a.m this morning will be shut down later and the water supply will be shut down, soon after that. (This is to spare the equipment from damage.)

Also, in the case of Jamaica Public Service (JPS): electricity, is also being shut down to prevent electricity from being in lines that will  be downed by the hurricane - that could cause injury and loss of life.

Twenty-one (21) emergency shelters are up and running across the island, for those who need to be evacuated.

For those with an emergency in Jamaica, the Office of Disaster Preparedness (ODPEM), can be contacted at phone nos. 876-928-51111-4.

Sources Include:

1) Projected Path of Hurricane Dean,The Weather Channel

2) Bulletin No. 14, August 19, National Meteorological Service of Jamaica

3) Power 106 News Bulletin at 8:45 a.m.

4) Television Jamaica (TVJ)

Gillian