9.4.2007 12:00 AM

Hurricane Felix, Now Category 2, Leaves Death in Its Wake

Damage Being Assessed in Nicaragua and Honduras, As Storm Moves On

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By Dan Shapley

Hurricane Felix unleashed its power on the land of Nicaragua and Honduras, as it was downgraded from a Category 5 monster to a Category 2 storm.

But it left at leas two dead, and as-yet untold damages as its 160 mph winds were unleashed on the coastline this morning. As much as 25 inches of rain may fall in some mountainous stretches of the region. National Hurricane Center

Major flood threats continue for parts of Nicaragua and Honduras. Winds are still being clocked upwards of 100 mph, but "rapid weakening" is expected as it moves across the mountains of Central America, according to the latest National Hurricane Center forecast.

It is the 11th category 4 or 5 storm this year, and the second Category 5 storm in the Atlantic in just two weeks. Forecasters had warned that this could be an unusually active storm season, and some scientists say warmer ocean waters brought about by global warming are making fierce hurricanes more fierce.

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