Dennis Now A 'Dangerous Hurricane'

Dennis became the season's first hurricane this evening and forecasters warned that it could grow perilously strong and pose a serious threat to the Florida Panhandle. It produced maximum sustained winds of 80 mph -- and seemed to be getting better organized.

"An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicates Dennis has become a hurricane over the central Caribbean Sea," said forecaster Stacy Stewart of the National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade County.

Forecasters said it could become a Category 3 hurricane by Friday, when it strikes Cuba, and reach the Panhandle or elsewhere on the Gulf Coast early next week as a strong hurricane.

"The official forecast . . . calls for a major, dangerous hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean Sea and the eastern Gulf of Mexico," said hurricane forecaster Lixion Avila.

The storm's projected path kept the potent core well west of South Florida and the Florida Keys, but Dennis was expected to grow in size as well as intensity and the region could be swept by Dennis' outlying wind and rain this weekend.

Local forecasters predicted periods of heavy rain and gusty wind in South Florida from Thursday night through Sunday. They warned of dangerous boating conditions and a high risk of rip currents.

"It looks like we'll mostly be spared, but it will be a pretty crummy weekend," said Jim Lushine, the National Weather Service's severe weather expert for South Florida.

It may be far worse for other Floridians, including many still recovering from last year's unprecedented quartet of hurricanes.

The five-day forecast suggested that Dennis could strike the mainland close to Pensacola as a major Category 3 hurricane early Monday. The same area was bulldozed last September by Hurricane Ivan, also a Category 3 storm on the five-category Saffir-Simpson scale.

The Florida National Guard began elevating its level of readiness.

"We are prepared for the challenges of Dennis or a future hurricane," said Lt. Col. Ron Tittle, the guard's spokesman.

Experts emphasized, however, that long-range forecasts contain large margins of error. They advised everyone living along the upper and eastern Gulf Coast to keep a close eye on future forecasts.

Residents of many Caribbean nations faced more imminent danger.

With an intensifying hurricane predicted to pass Thursday and Friday through channels between some of the most populous Caribbean islands, officials posted watches and warnings in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and eastern and central Cuba.

Forecasters warned of four to 12 inches of rain and the possibility of life-threatening flash floods and mud slides in mountainous areas.

Hurricane watches and warnings also seemed inevitable for western Cuba, as Dennis was predicted to cross the island as a Category 3 hurricane on Friday, bringing some of its worst weather to Havana.

Even as many emergency managers began focusing on Dennis, residents of the Southeast coped with the heavy rain and street flooding produced by Tropical Storm Cindy, which struck the upper Gulf Coast late Tuesday and then rolled inland.

That system temporarily cut power to more than 250,000 people and caused significant street flooding along the coast, particularly in Mississippi.

There were no early reports of death, injuries or significant structural damage.

Heavy rain and a storm surge flooded low-lying streets along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a weakening Tropical Storm Cindy pushed inland, leaving more than a quarter-million homes and businesses from Louisiana to Alabama without electricity.

Cindy's top sustained winds had weakened from 50 mph to 35 mph by midmorning and it was downgraded to a tropical depression. It was expected to continue its decline while pushing through Alabama, said the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Cindy's sustained winds earlier of 70 mph brought squalling rains and heavy downpours, reports Dave Cohen of CBS radio affiliate WWL-AM. Thousands of people were left with no electricity. Throughout metropolitan New Orleans, trees and power lines were down and debris was scattered.

But it was water that caused problems in Mississippi's coastal Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.

"We have recorded 3 to 4 inches of rain and we have a storm surge of 4 to 6 feet above normal tide. We have a number roads that flooded with rain water that presents a travel hazard," said John Edwards, a spokesman for the Harrison County emergency operations center.

Officials said the high water affected only areas that normally are prone to flooding.

By midmorning Wednesday, officials in Mississippi's coastal counties said water was draining from flooded streets and low-laying areas.