Update 12:22pm ET Hurricane Chaser Jim Edds Fox News Interview

Program Note: Jim Edds is booked to be on The Big Story with John Gibson on Fox New Channel this evening. The program airs between 5-6pm Eastern Time. Jim will be showing video from Jamaica during the interview, so be sure to tune in.

I’d like to also welcome all of our new readers from Reuters and USAToday. I’ll have another update concerning the tropics, remains of Hurricane Dean and some new video. Stay tuned.

Boom!

And one last thing, I’d also like to welcome our seven astronauts on the Space Shuttle Endeavour home. The shuttle’s twin sonic booms just blasted through my home here in South Florida as the re-entered earth atmosphere and now have landed at the space center in central Florida.
 

Update 5:19am ET Hurricane Dean Makes Landfall

What a event to watch on satellite all night. Major Hurricane Dean is now inland over the Yucatan. He made landfall shortly ago as a very impressive category 5 hurricane packing winds of 165mph and a central pressure of 906mb, which is a historic event. The hurricane’s eye made landfall over Majahual, just northeast of Chetumal.

SOME HISTORIC NOTES ARE IN ORDER HERE. THE 906 MB CENTRAL PRESSURE IS THE NINTH LOWEST ON RECORD FOR AN ATLANTIC BASIN HURRICANE…AND THE THIRD LOWEST AT LANDFALL BEHIND THE 1935
LABOR DAY HURRICANE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS AND HURRICANE GILBERT OF 1988 IN CANCUN MEXICO. DEAN IS ALSO THE FIRST CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE TO MAKE LANDFALL IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN SINCE ANDREW OF 1992.

The Hurricane was actually intensifying at the time of landfall, which is even worst on top of it already being a category 5. The eye looks to have wobbled west-southwestward in the last 30 minutes and might bring the center of the eye closer to Chetumal than first though. Either way, the whole area for 50-80 miles in every direction is experiencing pure weather hell at this moment. Now all we can do and sit and wait for any word to come out of the hard hit area’s later today. They have several hours to go of the worst, so I’ll update again around the midday hour.

 

The Worst Is Happening Now In The Yucatan

Hurricane Dean Category 5 satellite picture at landfall over Chetumal Yucatan 

Currently it’s 2:37am central time in the Yucatan Peninsula and many in the area are about to experience some of the worst weather conditions on the planet. Major Hurricane Dean is now just miles off the coast and heading straight for the Chetumal / Majahual, Mexico locations. Hurricane Dean is packing with of 160mph with higher gusts making him a category 5 storm. The latest recon data moments ago had a pressure reading of 909 MB…26.84 inches. This is a extremely dangerous hurricane and many are about to see the full force of a category 5 in the dark overnight hours.

DROPSONDE DATA FROM THE AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IN THE EYE OF HURRICANE DEAN IS NOW 909 MB…26.84 INCHES.

I have been monitoring radar out of Cancun and satellite imagery of Dean approaching the coastline. The satellite presentation is unbelievable as this tight eye is getting ready to come onshore right near Chetumal and likely on top of Majahual. The center of the eye looks to past right over coastal town of Majahual, Mexico within the next hour. Chetumal on the other hand, looks to be on the very south side of the eyewall and have more of a offshore flow here.

All of these area’s are within the eyewall and will encounter some very intense winds in the range from 130-160mph with much higher gusts, especially near the coast. The near coast from about Majahual and to the north about 50 miles (forward-right side), will experience catastrophic winds, storm surge and waves that will likely level the area well inland. Storm surge anywhere from 12-18 feet with 40-50 foot wave on top of the surge will batter the coast for hours. I hope everyone is well inland as little will be left along the immediate coast.

Riding out a category 5 in the dark is going to be very scary for those in the path of the eyewall, like those in the cities noted above. I have never been in a category 5, but I have been in a category 4, and that was a very intense experience and I just can’t event think what 160-170 mph winds will sound like and do. So, as the dangerous eye of Hurricane Dean begins to reach the coast, let’s wish everyone the best on the ground there during this possible catastrophic weather event on the Yucatan Peninsula. Stay Tuned!

Continuous Dean Coverage and Jamaica Aftermath Video

 

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