Dean upgraded to hurricane

Hurricane Dean formed in the open Atlantic early Thursday and headed toward the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, forecasters said.
Hurricane warnings were issued for the islands of Dominica and St. Lucia by their local governments. Hurricane watches were in effect for the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe and its dependencies, Saba and St. Eustaties.

At 5 a.m. ET, Dean was centered about 485 miles east of Barbados and about 590 miles east of Martinique, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was moving west near 24 mph, and was expected to continue the same path for the next 24 hours.

USAToday