Dean Intensifying; Erin Dies Out; Flossie Fades

The first Atlantic hurricane of this season is heading toward the U.S. Gulf Coast region and is expected to intensify over the next couple of days, while Tropical Storm Erin has made landfall in Texas bringing heavy rains and winds.

Steve Smith, senior vice president of ReAdvisory in Chicago, a unit of London-based reinsurance broker Carvill, said after Dean enters the Caribbean Sea, the storm is expected to "quickly intensify to a major hurricane."

"Dean could very easily be a threat to the U.S. Gulf Coast by the middle of next week," he said.

As the storm approached, hurricane warnings were issued for the islands of Dominica and St. Lucia. The islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe are under hurricane watch where hurricane conditions are possible in the next 36 hours.

Mr. Smith said the storm should be near Jamaica by the end of the weekend and head for the Yucatan Peninsula and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Meanwhile, the last advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Erin is expected to produce three-to-six inches of rain with winds up to 35 mph. There was a possibility of isolated tornadoes over the middle of the Gulf Coast area of Texas. The storm is expected to dissipate in a day or two.

Dr. Smith said there is no significant damage expected from that storm.

In the Pacific, Hurricane Flossie passed south of Hawaii causing no damage. The hurricane, which reached Category 4 status at one point, is now a tropical depression.