Hurricane Gustav strengthens to 'dangerous' category three
MIAMI (AFP) — Hurricane Gustav strengthened into a "dangerous" category three hurricane Saturday as it approached the west of Cuba, the US National Hurricane Center said.
"Data from an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft indicate that Gustav continues to rapidly strengthen and now has maximum winds 115 miles per hour (185 kilometres) per hour with higher gusts," it said.
That makes Gustav "a dangerous category three hurricane" on the five-category Saffir-Simpson scale -- equal in strength to Hurricane Katrina when it made landfall in the southern United States three years ago.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
Map