 Satellite image of Dean west of the Windward Islands on August 17 | |
| Category 2 hurricane | |
|---|---|
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 105 mph (165 km/h) |
| Highest gusts | 125 mph (205 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 967 mbar (hPa); 28.56 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Damage | $440 million (2007 USD) |
| Areas affected | Windward Islands (especially St. Lucia, Martinique and Dominica), Leeward Islands |
Part of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season | |
| History
Impact Other wikis | |
The effects of Hurricane Dean in the Lesser Antilles were spread over five island countries and included 3 fatalities. Hurricane Dean formed in the Atlantic Ocean west of Cape Verde on August 14, 2007. The National Hurricane Center's first Forecast Advisory on the system anticipated that the Cape Verde-type hurricane would pass into the Caribbean through the Lesser Antilles. The storm moved persistently towards the small island chain, strengthening until it passed through the islands three days later on August 17 as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It went on to brush the island of Jamaica and reached Category 5 strength before making landfall on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.
While crossing the Lesser Antilles, Dean caused moderate damage in St. Lucia, Martinique, and Dominica, where it washed out roads, damaged houses, and killed 6 people. It also devastated the agriculture-dependent economies of those three states, as well as that of Guadeloupe, destroying between 80% and 100% of the banana crops. Deaths were reported as far away as Trinidad.