Hurricane heads for Mexico, Belize, Guatemala

Hurricane Iris picked up strength to become the most powerful storm of the Atlantic season heading on a collision course with…

Hurricane Iris picked up strength to become the most powerful storm of the Atlantic season heading on a collision course with northern Central America, the National Weather Service warned today.

"Iris is now an extremely dangerous Category Four hurricane . . . the strongest of the season and is expected to make landfall tonight" near Belize, Guatemala and southern Mexico, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said at 1 p.m Irish time.

Heavy, driving rains in Iris's path "could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides over mountainous terrain," the centre warned.

At 1 p.m. Irish time, the center of Iris was located about 460 kilometres east of Belize City, Belize. The storm was moving west at almost 32 kilometres an hour - a rate expected to bring the center of the storm over northern Central America late today.

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A US Air Force Reserve Unit hurricane hunter aircraft reported that maximum sustained winds have rapidly increased to almost 220 kmh with higher gusts.

AFP