Photographer Mike Theiss on the chase:
I’ve always wanted to document a Hurricane in the Lesser Antilles and saw Dean as the perfect opportunity. I knew there was a chance I would miss Dean’s later landfall in the Yucatan as a stronger Hurricane but decided to go for it. I knew Dean would be a strengthening Cat-2 when passing the islands but didn’t know for sure if Martinique or Dominica would take the direct hit. I flew to Puerto Rico and waited as long as I could before the flights were about to be canceled and chose Dominica. The flight to Dominica was amazing! The plane flew through the rain forest mountains and valleys and we had to make a quick decent since the runway was short and because of the mountains we could not make a gradual decent. It was a wild landing to what would be the beginning of a wild expedition. I arrived to the airport to find many tourists panicking trying to get off the island. This is typical before a hurricane is about to strike a location. I have arrived to many locations and seen this reaction from people every time. Funny how I’m always the only person desperately trying to get into position for the storm and everyone else is trying to get away.
You can read the rest of his account, and view the photos, at Ultimate Chase. Reports this morning contain some rare good news. Dean isn’t going to re-strengthen as quickly as initially feared:
Upper-level winds have become somewhat less favorable for intensification…with the SHIPS model and analyses from CIMSS at the University of Wisconsin showing 15-20 kt of northeasterly vertical wind shear. This…combined with the large core size…suggests that re-intensification may be slower than previously thought. The intensity forecast now calls for winds to increase to 80 kt before landfall…which is a little above most of the guidance. Dean should weaken after landfall and dissipate by 48 hr at the latest.
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