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Monday, September 8

Ike Pounds Cuba Sets Eye Towards the Gulf

Written by: Brian Neudorff

If you missed it, meteorologist Bob Metcalfe had a great post on hurricanes in the Gulf and their impacts on oil prices. Later this week Ike is expected to be the second hurricane to threaten Gulf of Mexico oil production.

Around 9:45 p.m. EDT Sunday evening, Ike made landfall on the north coast of eastern Cuba near Punto de Sama. Winds were estimated to be 125 mph, making Ike a Category 3 hurricane.

At 5 a.m. EDT Monday morning, Ike was downgraded to a category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. Life threatening, damaging winds and flooding rainfall amounts of 6-12 inches with higher amounts of 20 inches will spread into central Cuba on Monday as Ike weakens. Ike is expected to slowly turn to the west-northwest and move across central Cuba on later Monday into Monday night. As Ike continues move over the island of Cuba further weakening is expected. By Tuesday, Ike could be a Category 1 hurricane, perhaps even to a tropical storm over western Cuba. Ike will then re-emerge over the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday night or Wednesday. Once over the warmer open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, re-intensification is likely mid to late week and Ike could become a major hurricane in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico by Friday. Once in the Gulf it is still to early to say with any certainity where Ike will make landfall and just how strong it will be.

Hurricane Ike Links: NOAA Ike Tracker - Ike Satellite Images - Key West, FL Radar - Cuba Radar #1 - Cuba Radar #2 - Cuba Radar Map

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