PM Update: Weakened Hurricane Ike Moving Along Cuba's South Coast

8 pm Update:Hurricane Ike continues to move along the southern coast of Cuba. The storm is now heading west northwest at 12 mph. It's still a Category 1 storm with maximum winds of 80 mph. As of the latest advisory, the center of Ike was located 35 miles south southeast of Cienfuegos, Cuba, and 165 miles east southeast of Havana.

Original post:
Hurricane Ike has weakened from its encounter with Cuba to a Category 1 storm. Aircraft reconnaissance has measured the maximum winds at 80 mph. At 5 pm, the center was located 45 miles southeast of Cienfuegos, Cuba, and 215 miles southeast of Havana.

Ike continues to move westward along the southern coast of Cuba. The current track is west at 14 mph, but a much-anticipated turn to a slightly more northerly direction is still expected tonight. Computer models have been trending toward a stronger high pressure ridge to the north once Ike is in the Gulf of Mexico. This implies a more southerly track in the direction of a landfall on the central Texas Gulf coast, and the official forecast has been adjusted accordingly.

Scroll down to the previous post for Hurricane Ike videos.

Images (top to bottom): Hurricane Ike satellite view from The Weather Channel, Ike track forecast from National Hurricane Center, Ike computer model track forecasts from Weather Underground