Rina Weakens, Downgraded To Cat 1 Hurricane
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – After days of rapidly strengthening over the warm waters of the western Caribbean, the National Hurricane Center reports Hurricane Rina has begun to weaken.
At 11 p.m., the eye of Rina was about 140 miles south of Cozumel as moved to the west-northwest at 6 miles per hour.
Hurricane Rina's maximum sustained winds had dropped from 110 to 85 miles per hour; hurricane force winds extend outward up to 15 miles and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 80 miles.
Rina has been drowngraded to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
The NHC forecast calls for Hurricane Rina to take a gradual turn toward the northwest and increase in forward speed late Wednesday.
On that forecast track, the center of Rina will move near or over the east cost of the Yucatan Peninsula within the warning area on Thursday.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from north of Punta Gruesa to San Felipe.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Chetumal to Punta Gruesa and on the north coast from west of San Felipe to Progreso.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the coast of Belize from Belize City northward and the Honduran Bay Islands of Roatan and Guanaja.
Rina is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 8 to 16 inches over the eastern Yucatan Peninsula and Cozumel through Friday.
A dangerous storm surge is expected to rain raise water levels by as much as 4 feet above normal tide level along the coast.
You can get complete details on the storm, including up-to date maps and forecasts, at the CBSMiami Tropical Weather Center.
