Felix now Category III Hurricane

The hurricane was expected to pass just south of those islands and Tropical Storm Watches were issued. Only two weeks ago, Jamaica was lashed by Hurricane Dean which left several persons dead and millions of dollars in damage. Jamaicans are supposed to go to the polls today for General Election.

Felix, the second hurricane for the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, was first upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane Saturday evening after its feeder bands caused landslides and flooding in several parts of North and West Trinidad with strong winds and heavy showers.

On Saturday, seas became dangerously rough, rivers burst their banks and cars were pushed metres away from their original positions in several parts of north-west Trinidad particularly in Diego Martin, Carenage and Chaguaramas. Strong currents churned up garbage previously thrown into the sea and dumped it onto several beaches in the North. Debris from landslides covered roads and had to be cleared by the TT Fire Services. And while Tobago received some thunder showers, it was mainly unaffected by the storm.

According to the Met Office, Felix was situated just north of Aruba yesterday causing Tropical Storm Warnings and Hurricane Watches to be issued on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. These were discontinued by 2 pm when Felix suddenly shifted away from Curacao, taking an unpredictable path.

However, the hurricane is said to be moving toward the west-northwest near 30 km/hr (18 mph) and this general motion is expected to continue today. “Our computer models’ forecast indicates that, after passing south of Jamaica and the Caymans, there is a possibility Felix will directly hit Belize by Wednesday,” said one meteorologist at Piarco.