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Hurricane Michelle threatens Cuba

satellite image
Satellite image of Hurricane Michelle taken at 7:15 p.m. EST Saturday.  


MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Hurricane Michelle was expected to pick up speed as it drifts northward toward Cuba, bringing heavy rains and strong winds.

Forecasters updated Michelle to a Category Four storm Saturday, with maximum sustained winds nearing 135 mph (215 kilometers per hour). A Category Five storm is the highest designation on the Saffir/Simpson Scale.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, the center of Hurricane Michelle was 235 miles (380 kilometers) south-southwest of Havana, Cuba. Maximum sustained winds were 135 mph (215 kilometers per hour) with stronger gusts. The storm was drifting north at 6 mph (9 kilometers per hour) and was expected to move northward between 5 and 10 mph (8 to 16 kilometers per hour), according to an alert issued by the National Hurricane Center.

MICHELLE INFORMATION
At 7 p.m. EST Saturday

STATUS
Category Four hurricane

POSITION
Near 19.8 degrees north latitude, 83.8 degrees west longitude, or about 235 miles (380 kilometers) south-southwest of Havana, Cuba.

MOVEMENT
The storm is drifting north at 6 mph (9 kilometers per hour).

WIND SPEED
135 mph (215 kilometers per hour) with stronger gusts.

OUTLOOK
Storm is expected to move northward at between 5 and 10 mph (8 to 16 kilometers per hour).



EXTRA INFORMATION
In-depth: Hurricanes 
 

Hurricane-force winds extended 35 miles (55 kilometers) from the center of the storm, and tropical storm-force winds extended out 145 miles (230 kilometers). Forecasters expected little change in Michelle's strength over the next 24 hours.

Bands of heavy rain from the storm had reached Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and the Yucatan Peninsula. Rainfall accumulations could reach 10 to 20 inches, forecasters said.

A hurricane warning is in effect for western Cuba and a tropical storm watch has been issued for the island of Grand Cayman.

A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch were in effect for the Florida Keys from Ocean Reef westward to the Dry Tortugas, including Florida Bay.

Nonresidents in the Florida Keys were ordered to evacuate as emergency agencies kept a close eye on the late-season hurricane. Western Cuba was under a hurricane warning, and people in South Florida and the Bahamas were urged to monitor the storm closely.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas said Saturday that there was "no reason for alarm" for residents of the Miami area. No evacuations were contemplated although there was a "slight possibility" that tropical storm-force winds could reach the southern end of Dade County by early Monday, he said.

Irene Toner, director of the Monroe County Office of Emergency Management in Key West, said everything was going according to plan early Saturday.

"We're going over our social services plans, looking at special-needs people, talking to the medical field and addressing everything at this time," she said.

On Friday, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency, which authorizes evacuations and the use of the National Guard to assist in emergency operations. The state also activated its Emergency Operations Center.

The year-round population of the Florida Keys is about 87,000, while the influx of tourists can push the number up to 115,000 at this time of year, Toner said. "It's breezy, but there's no rain or anything," she said.

All major roads and bridges were open Saturday morning, and a slow but steady stream of recreational vehicles and cars were heading north through Key Largo. There is only one main road, Route 1, that traverses the Keys and two direct paths to get to the Florida mainland by car.

For residents, it's a familiar scene. "The usual," said a Key Largo senior citizen interviewed by CNN affiliate WSVN-TV, "stocking up the gas, staples."

Gusting winds and light rain were already reaching the Florida coast, even though forecasters could not be sure the hurricane would reach the peninsula. In Hollywood Beach, a steady stream of people filed into a 24-hour home improvement store to buy storm supplies such as sheets of plywood, batteries, flashlights, generators, plastic sheeting and more.

The churning surf was creating some concern, especially for residents near the beach, but overall the scene was not one of panic.

Penelas said flooding in low-lying areas from heavy rainfall was a possibility. Water management officials have lowered water levels in canals to better handle any storm runoff, he said.



 
 
 
 


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