Hurricane Rina Moves Toward Yucatan Peninsula
Huricane Rina lumbered across waters east of Belize toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday on a path expected to take it away from the major oil regions of the Gulf of Mexico, said the National Hurricane Center.
As Rina heads toward Mexico’s resort studded Caribbean coast, authorities are evacuating fishing communities on the coast. Some tourists have already begun to leave as it heads towards popular vacation spots Cancun and the island of Cozumel. Others are staying put, downplaying the strength of the storm.
“They just said it’s going to be raining and storming and maybe a hurricane come in the next couple 3 days,” Canadian tourist Roger Johnson told the AP.
“This doesn’t seem to bother me.”
Rina’s winds are at 110 miles per hour, making it a Category 2 storm and just below a 111 mph Category 3 storm.
The latest forecast says strengthening of Rina’s winds are very likely before it hits land on Thursday, peaking at 115 mph, making it a major hurricane strong enough to tear roofs off of houses.
The hurricane is currently about 230 miles south-southeast of Cozumel, heading west at 4mph. Forecasters are predicting that Rina will roll over the island of Cozumel and then along the coast of Cancun.
Mexico’s Quintana Roo Governor Roberto Angulo has suspended school activity on Wednesday in 6 different cities, according to a statement on the government’s website. After evacuating the island of Chinchorro and town of Punta Allen, he also ordered the evacuation of Punto Herrero and banned the sale of alcohol from 6pm in Benito Juarez, Cancun, Cozumel, and Isla Mujeres.
Rina “has the potential to become a major hurricane today or tonight,” according to the National Hurricane Center.
See a graphic of Hurricane Rina's path below: