MIAMI - Hurricane Felix grew into a major class-three storm Sunday taking its 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour winds on a track toward Belize, and threatening tropical storm conditions for Jamaica`s general elections Monday.
Warnings for Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao were discontinued as Felix swiped the popular tourist destinations in the Netherlands Antilles after wreaking some damage in Grenada, reportedly ripping roofs, downing power lines and knocking radio and TV stations off the air. No injuries were reported.
Jamaica was meanwhile under a tropical storm watch as it dealt with pre-election violence that killed seven people on Friday.
On Sunday the Miami-based National Hurricane Center upgraded the storm to a Category Three "major hurricane" on the Saffir-Sampson scale, which peaks at five, and warned it could further hit Category Four status by Monday.
At around 1800 GMT Felix`s maximum sustained winds were 205 kilometers (125 miles) per hour, and its trek across the open, warm waters of the Caribbean could confer it even more power.
The center of the hurricane around 1800 GMT Sunday was just north of the northern tip of Colombia and about 790 kilometers (490 miles) southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.
Felix was moving in a west-northwesterly direction at around 30 kilometers (18 miles) per hour, and was expected to follow the same course throughout Sunday -- putting it on track to bypass the north coast of Honduras and head directly for Belize, where is could hit land Wednesday.
The storm was not expected to hit Jamaica directly, but its strong outer squalls could rock the island ahead of the elections on Monday. Jamaican officials had already postponed the general election from August 27, after the island was struck last month by Hurricane Dean.
"Additional strengthening is forecast, and Felix could become a Category Four hurricane within the next day or so," the NHC said, meaning its winds could surpass 210 kilometers (131 miles) per hour.
Last week, Dean swept through the Caribbean with severe winds and rains, leaving a wide swathe of damage and a death toll of 30 from Martinique to Mexico.
Felix is the second hurricane of the three-month-old Atlantic season, and the first in September, historically the busiest month for hurricanes.
09/02/2007 20:18 GMT