At least one man has died after being crushed by a boulder and almost three quarters of the island is without power after Hurricane Sandy pounded Jamaica Wednesday. As Sandy headed towards Cuba, Jamaica was still being pelted with heavy rains after the eye crossed the island making it the first hurricane direct hit for the country since Hurricane Gilbert 24 years ago. The airport and ports remained closed and the police curfew also remained in place Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, at 7pm local time Sandy was about 60 miles NNE of Kingston packing winds of over 85 mph and travelling north at 14 mph.
The National Hurricane Centre said this motion was expected to continue through until Thursday night when an increase in forward speed is expected. A turn toward the north-northwest and a decrease in forward speed are expected on Friday.
On the current track Hurricane Sandy will move over eastern Cuba overnight and head towards the Bahamas Thursday. Sandy remains a category one hurricane but forecasters said additional strengthening was possible before it reached Cuba. Hurricane force winds currently extend outward up to 30 miles while tropical storm force winds extend up to 140 miles.
Although the storm remains more than 200 miles to the east of the Sister Islands very high seas are forecast locally and a marine warning remains in effect. Cayman Weather Services said waves could peak as high as nine feet through Thursday. Some heavy rain and fresh winds are also expected locally as Sandy moves past Cayman towards Cuba.
-CNS
