Hurricane Dean, which was briefly a Category 5 storm, is now a Category 2 storm, with winds of about 105 mph as it pounds the Yucatan Peninsula before heading into mainland Mexico.
The storm downed trees and cut power, but the damage wasn't as catastrophic as it could have been. Mexico and the Yucatan, including Belize, appear to have been very lucky through all this.
Downed power lines and damaged buildings were reported in Mexico and northern Belize, but no casualties.
Streets were flooded outside a hotel in Chetumal, just south of where Dean's center made landfall around 4:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. ET) with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (266 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.
Two hotel workers tried to clear a clogged street drain with a garden rake in an effort to relieve the flooded streets.
The storm's eye passed just south of the resort areas of Cozumel and Cancun, striking a rural and sparsely populated area near Chetumal, the capital of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
At 10 a.m. (11 a.m. ET), the weakened hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph) and was 90 miles (150 km) west-northwest of Chetumal, according to the hurricane center. It was moving west at 20 mph (32 kph).
The storm is expected to lose more strength as it passes across the Yucatan, before re-emerging in the Gulf of Mexico. It is forecast to strengthen again and hit central Mexico Wednesday with winds around 100 mph (161 kph).
The area where the hurricane came ashore at its most violent was a sparsely populated area that had been evacuated in anticipation of the hurricane's landfall. Brendan Loy and his co-bloggers note that Costa Maya, the popular cruise ship port/destination, likely suffered major damage. We'll know more as reports begin to come out of the stricken areas.UPDATE:
Cleanup continues in areas affected by Dean. Cancun was largely spared, and Jamaica is cleaning up the mess. For Jamaicans, the resort destinations of Kingston, Ocho Rios, and Negril suffered only minor damage as they were well North of Dean's most furious winds and rains. That's especially important for a country that is reliant upon the tourist industry for its income.
In Jamaica, where Dean paralleled the southern coast Sunday, about 10,000 tourists remained on the island. There was heavy flooding and road damage, and the country was placed under a state of emergency. Cruise ships canceled their Jamaica calls this week, except for Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, which will dock in Montego Bay Wednesday.
But Monday, tourism officials reported "minimal damage" to the north coast's popular resort areas, including Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Negril. Commercial flights resumed Monday to Montego Bay and Tuesday to the capital, Kingston. The website for Jamaica's SuperClubs resorts said its properties would accept guests as soon as airports reopened, though it was waiving change fees for arrivals scheduled through Aug. 24. At Half Moon Montego Bay, officials said damage was limited to fallen trees, limbs and debris and the resort remained open.
Dean's eye passed about 100 miles south of the Caymans, and the islands were spared hurricane-force winds, which extended outward up to 60 miles from the center. Officials reported no damage to buildings; police lifted a mandatory curfew Monday afternoon and the airport on Grand Cayman was scheduled to reopen Tuesday morning.
In Martinique, where Dean passed just south of the island as a Category 2 storm early Friday, two deaths were attributed to the hurricane and authorities estimate repairing the island's infrastructure will cost at least $200 million. The international airport reopened Saturday and tourism officials said all of the island's 160 hotels and resorts remain open, but Club Med said guests due to arrive at its Buccaneer's Creek resort before Aug. 26 would be given alternate dates or resort options because many island areas lacked electricity and other services.
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