Hurricane Rina Churns on Toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula

[phantom power]

Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Rina churned across warm waters east of Belize toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula today on a path expected to take it away from the major oil regions of the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said

Rina’s sustained winds were at 110 miles (175 kilometers) per hour, just below the 111 mph threshold that would make it a Category 3 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, the center said in an 8 a.m. Miami time advisory.

The NHC forecasts that winds will peak at 115 mph, capable of tearing roofs off houses and crumbling walls. The official track calls for Rina to close in on Cozumel, Mexico, later today and tomorrow on Cancun, then turn northeastward away from the Gulf and skirt northwestern Cuba over the weekend.

Rina “has the potential to become a major hurricane today or tonight,” the center said. “Some weakening is likely after Rina moves near or over the Yucatan peninsula.”

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-26/hurricane-rina-churns-on-toward-mexico-s-yucatan-peninsula.html