Hurricane Sandy threatens east of Florida

Hurricane Sandy threatens east coast of Florida

Editor's note: Residents along the East Coast are being warned to be wary of Hurricane Sandy, whose forecast track takes it along the coast, from off Florida on Thursday to off the mid-Atlantic states and possibly as far north as Massachusetts by Tuesday.

The following are the latest developments.
[Updated 8:06 a.m. ET] Hurricane Sandy was moving Thursday morning between northeastern Cuba and the central Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. ET advisory.

Hurricane warnings are in effect for the Ragged Islands in the southeastern Bahamas as well as the central and the northeastern Bahamas. Warnings are also in effect for six provinces of Cuba.
Sandy remained a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds.
[Updated 7:54 a.m. ET] The Bahamas Department of Meteorology says Hurricane Sandy could produce storm surges of 5 to 8 feet on some islands.
[Update 7:07 a.m.] A tropical storm warning for Florida has been extended north to Flagler Beach, between Daytona Beach to the south and Jacksonville to the north, as Hurricane Sandy was moving off Cuba and toward the Bahamas on Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected in the area in 24 to 36 hours.
[Update 6:38 a.m.] Hurricane Sandy was moving off the coast of Cuba Thursday morning, having weakened slightly. The National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. ET update that the storm's maximum sustained winds were at 105 mph, down from 11o mph earlier Thursday.

[Update 1:56 a.m.]  Sandy claims one life in Jamaica and one in Haiti, media reports said.
[Updated 1:41 a.m.] Continuing to strengthen, Hurricane Sandy made landfall in southeastern Cuba early Thursday as a strong Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph and gusts to 115 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reports.
[Posted 1:33 a.m.] Hurricane Sandy rapidly strengthened into a Category 2 storm off the southeastern coast of Cuba early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reports.

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