| Hurricane Dean on track to threaten Jamaica!
Dean is a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 145 miles (233 kilometers) an hour, the National Hurricane Center said in an update at 5 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Sunday.
The storm was located 245 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica's capital.
"Coastal storm-surge flooding of 7 to 9 feet above normal tide levels, along with large and dangerous battering waves, is possible near the center of Dean within the hurricane-warning area," the agency said.
A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions could occur within 24 hours. "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," the center said.
Dean was moving west-northwest at 18 miles an hour, the center reported. "On this track, the core of the hurricane will pass just south of the southern coast of Haiti over the next several hours and will be near Jamaica later today," the center said.
Jamaica can expect 5 to 10 inches of rain, up to a maximum of 20 inches. "These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the agency said.
Accuweather.com said the hurricane was just short of a Category 5 storm, which would mean winds of 156 mph or more.
No strong winds are present to break up the storm, nor is it passing cooler water that would weaken it, the forecaster reported.
The "current forecast track for Dean takes the storm into northeastern Mexico," and "all interests along the western Gulf Coast should closely monitor the storm for any shifts in its movement," AccuWeather reported.
On Friday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared Dean an imminent threat to the state and activated resources including search and rescue teams. National Weather Service projections show Hurricane Dean could impact the Texas coast by the middle of next week, Perry's office said in a press release.
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