Hurricane Dean Cat 4

*Update* –  Dean is now a tropical storm as of August 23rd and now part of the history books.

After killing 11 people on its rampage through the Caribbean, Dean was a Category 5 hurricane – the strongest possible – when it tore into Mexico, landing around the cruise ship port of Costa Maya, near the border with Belize.

Hurricane Dean – NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 2:00 PM EST AUG 21 2007

Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph…140 km/hr…with higher gusts. Dean is a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some restrengthening is expected after Dean enters the Bay of Campeche.

At 100 PM CDT…1800z…the center of Hurricane Dean was located near latitude 19.2 north…longitude 90.4 west or about 45 miles…75 km…south-southeast of Campeche Mexico.

Dean is moving toward the west near 18 mph…30 km/hr…and a west-northwestward to westward motion is expected today and tonight. On this track…the center of Dean will reach the southern Bay of Campeche in a couple of hours.

The latest minimum central pressure reported by an Air Force Reserve unit reconnaissance aircraft was estimated at 960 mb…28.35 inches.

And just for extra fun, here are some shots of Hurricane Dean today from the International Space Station and Shuttle Endeavour. The field of view of the camera is 1000 miles across.