Hauptsturmfury Felix [Cat 5]-2
Position: 14.3 N/77.8 W.
Movement: West [280°] near 21 mph.
Maximum sustained winds: 160 mph [Cat 5].
Gusts: 200mph
Minimum central pressure: 940 mb.
Hurricane Force Wind Radius: 30 miles.
Tropical Storm Force Wind Radius: 115 miles.
It currently 365 miles East of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Nicaragua/Honduras border.
The pressure has come up 10 mb overnight and the winds dropped 5 mph. The eye looks a little ragged. This gives hope of some weakening before landfall.
It has been moving more to the due West pulling the forecast track to the South. This puts landfall in northeastern Nicaragua and then plowing through Honduras, rather than passing by to the North and slamming the Yucatan like Dean. Felix is still a small, tightly wound storm, so wind damage will be limited to a small area. If it expands before landfall and starts drawing moisture from the Pacific as well as the Caribbean, the water damage will be much greater.
Update: Dr. Jeff Masters reports that Felix now holds the record for intensification from formation as a tropical depression to becoming a Category 5 hurricane: 51 hours. Most storms spend more time than that becoming a Category 1 hurricane.
