Hurricane Dean weakens into a Category one storm by Rob McElwee
After reaching Category 5, the most intense level on the Saffir- Simpson scale, Dean weakened into a Category one hurricane yesterday as it passed over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Over 18,000 people were evacuated from oil wells across the south of the country in preparation for Dean, which had the potential to hit the land as a catastrophic category 5 hurricane.
Despite drenching parts of the country with heavy rain, the worst of the storm missed the tourist resorts of Cozumel and Cancun and so far there have been no reported deaths. Earlier in the week Dean tore through the Caribbean, killing at least 13 people and rendering thousands homeless.
Hurricanes of this intensity are rare with Gilbert the last Category 5 storm to hit Mexico in 1988. At present the storm is moving into the Bay of Campeche, with forecasters at the National Hurricane Centre expecting Dean to gain strength as it heads towards the Gulf of Mexico. A hurricane warning still remains in effect along the Gulf coast from Progresso to Tampico.
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