07-06-2005, 02:34 PM
Dennis approaches hurricane strength
Cindy downgraded to tropical depression
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Dennis approached hurricane strength Wednesday as it pushed across the Caribbean toward Jamaica and Cuba.
Meanwhile, Cindy shrank into a tropical depression, as it pushed across Mississippi into Alabama with heavy rains and gusty winds.
At 2 p.m. ET, Dennis' top sustained winds had reached 70 mph as the storm tracked west-northwest at about 14 mph.
Forecasters expect Dennis to cross the hurricane threshold at 74 mph Wednesday afternoon or evening and increase its intensity as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico later in the week -- possibly reaching Category 3 status at near 115 mph.
Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti were under a hurricane warning, and the southern coast of the Dominican Republic was under a tropical storm warning.
A hurricane watch covered the Cayman Islands and eastern Cuba.
Located 350 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, Dennis appeared poised to scoot between Jamaica and the Cuba's southern coast before crossing its eastern end.
Current forecasting models show the storm missing eastern Florida, but they disagree about where it will make landfall -- anywhere from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Tampa, Florida.
The National Hurricane Center predicted Dennis to make landfall Monday near Mobile, Alabama, but cautioned the storm was still too far away for a truly accurate forecast.
Mobile was already swamped by rains from Cindy.
Water covered roads in several locations in the Alabama city, including the Mobile Bay Causeway between Mobile and Spanish Fort. Interstate 10 across the bay was barely above the water level, as a high tide kept the gray, choppy waters over the roadway.
By 11 a.m. ET Cindy's winds had dropped to 35 mph, and all watches and warnings were canceled, the hurricane center said, but the rains kept up with the storm's northeastward passage. Located 50 miles north-northwest of Mobile, the depression was moving to the northeast at about 14 mph.
The storm is expected to further weaken as it passes over land, but is expected to dump up to 10 inches of rain along the coast and across the southeastern United States.
Capt. Mike Sanders with the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office said the coastal community has held up well.
"No reports of injuries, water in homes," he said. "A very major inconvenience, but we're very blessed that Cindy seems to be moving and not stalling and that was our main concern."
Col. Perry Ebbert, the director of Homeland Security in New Orleans, said the Big Easy could get hit with as much as 6 inches of rain and even more in low-lying areas, potentially creating heavy flooding.
"Even at 70 miles per hour, we shouldn't have any major wind damage. But living in a bowl down here, we're always concerned about lots of rainwater," he said.
New Orleans missed the worst of the winds when Cindy pushed ashore east of the city, but the strong winds did knock over trees and bring water over the low-lying streets. By late morning Wednesday, cleanup crews were at work in the area while authorities kept a close eye on Dennis.
Cindy's move across the Gulf of Mexico forced the evacuation of 23 of 819 oil platforms and six of 135 oil rigs, according to the Minerals Management Service. Dennis' approach, as a stronger storm, could prompt more.
The shutdown has interrupted more than 3 percent of the Gulf's normal oil and natural gas production, pushing oil prices above $60 a barrel in trading Wednesday. (Full story)
Dennis' formation makes July 5 the earliest date in recorded tropical storm history that four named storms have been formed in the Atlantic basin, the hurricane center said. Tropical storms Arlene and Bret preceded Dennis and Cindy, but neither reached hurricane strength.
CNN's Dan Lothian, Chad Myers, Ninette Sosa and Amanda Moyer contributed to this story.
Cindy downgraded to tropical depression
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Dennis approached hurricane strength Wednesday as it pushed across the Caribbean toward Jamaica and Cuba.
Meanwhile, Cindy shrank into a tropical depression, as it pushed across Mississippi into Alabama with heavy rains and gusty winds.
At 2 p.m. ET, Dennis' top sustained winds had reached 70 mph as the storm tracked west-northwest at about 14 mph.
Forecasters expect Dennis to cross the hurricane threshold at 74 mph Wednesday afternoon or evening and increase its intensity as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico later in the week -- possibly reaching Category 3 status at near 115 mph.
Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti were under a hurricane warning, and the southern coast of the Dominican Republic was under a tropical storm warning.
A hurricane watch covered the Cayman Islands and eastern Cuba.
Located 350 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, Dennis appeared poised to scoot between Jamaica and the Cuba's southern coast before crossing its eastern end.
Current forecasting models show the storm missing eastern Florida, but they disagree about where it will make landfall -- anywhere from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Tampa, Florida.
The National Hurricane Center predicted Dennis to make landfall Monday near Mobile, Alabama, but cautioned the storm was still too far away for a truly accurate forecast.
Mobile was already swamped by rains from Cindy.
Water covered roads in several locations in the Alabama city, including the Mobile Bay Causeway between Mobile and Spanish Fort. Interstate 10 across the bay was barely above the water level, as a high tide kept the gray, choppy waters over the roadway.
By 11 a.m. ET Cindy's winds had dropped to 35 mph, and all watches and warnings were canceled, the hurricane center said, but the rains kept up with the storm's northeastward passage. Located 50 miles north-northwest of Mobile, the depression was moving to the northeast at about 14 mph.
The storm is expected to further weaken as it passes over land, but is expected to dump up to 10 inches of rain along the coast and across the southeastern United States.
Capt. Mike Sanders with the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office said the coastal community has held up well.
"No reports of injuries, water in homes," he said. "A very major inconvenience, but we're very blessed that Cindy seems to be moving and not stalling and that was our main concern."
Col. Perry Ebbert, the director of Homeland Security in New Orleans, said the Big Easy could get hit with as much as 6 inches of rain and even more in low-lying areas, potentially creating heavy flooding.
"Even at 70 miles per hour, we shouldn't have any major wind damage. But living in a bowl down here, we're always concerned about lots of rainwater," he said.
New Orleans missed the worst of the winds when Cindy pushed ashore east of the city, but the strong winds did knock over trees and bring water over the low-lying streets. By late morning Wednesday, cleanup crews were at work in the area while authorities kept a close eye on Dennis.
Cindy's move across the Gulf of Mexico forced the evacuation of 23 of 819 oil platforms and six of 135 oil rigs, according to the Minerals Management Service. Dennis' approach, as a stronger storm, could prompt more.
The shutdown has interrupted more than 3 percent of the Gulf's normal oil and natural gas production, pushing oil prices above $60 a barrel in trading Wednesday. (Full story)
Dennis' formation makes July 5 the earliest date in recorded tropical storm history that four named storms have been formed in the Atlantic basin, the hurricane center said. Tropical storms Arlene and Bret preceded Dennis and Cindy, but neither reached hurricane strength.
CNN's Dan Lothian, Chad Myers, Ninette Sosa and Amanda Moyer contributed to this story.
