Hurricane Felix Hits Netherlands Antilles

The second strong hurricane of the season, Felix, is currently roiling the waters of the Southern Caribbean, as it passes over the Netherlands Antilles. The islands – Bonaire, Curaçao and Aruba are close to the South American mainland off the coast of Venezuela. Felix is following the same route as Dean, but a bit further south. So far, there have been no reports of serious damages or loss of life.

The 11:00 a.m. AST bulletin on Sunday from the National Hurricane Center in Miami said the center of Felix was “about 50 miles (75 kms) north of Aruba and about 555 miles (895 kms) southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.” The hurricane is currently classified as a category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds “near 105 mph (165 km/hr) with higher gusts.”

It is moving toward the west-northwest at around 18 mph (30 km/hr), which is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. The NHC noted: “On this track the center of the hurricane will be moving away from the Netherlands Antilles and over the open waters of the central Caribbean sea today and tonight.” Some further strengthening is forecast, and Felix “could become a major hurricane tonight or early on Monday.”