BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Hurricane Felix had grown to catastrophic Category 5 storm packing winds up to 165 mph (270 kph) as it swept through the southern Caribbean on a path toward Central America and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, U.S. forecasters said late Sunday. 

    Forecasters at the hurricane center said Felix, the second hurricane of the 2007 Atlantic storm season, was strengthening at one of the fastest rates seen, as measured by the drop in its minimum internal pressure.

    Although a tropical storm watch remained in effect Sunday night for Jamaica and Grand Cayman Island, all watches and storm warnings for the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao had been lifted.

    Felix hit Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire with heavy winds and rain over the weekend. Thousands of tourists took shelter in hotels, The Associated Press reported. 

    Forecasts called for Felix to pass just north of the Honduran coast before possibly hitting Belize on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.

    Felix is then expected to cross the Yucatan Peninsula and head out over the Gulf of Mexico, Jeras said.

    Felix's pace is expected to continue for the next 24 hours as it heads away from the Netherlands Antilles and into the open waters of the central Caribbean.

    Category 5 is the fiercest class of hurricane, with storm surges greater than some six meters above normal.

    Hurricane Dean became a Category 5 storm in mid-August before slamming into the Yucatan, south of the tourist resort of Cancun.

    The 2007 hurricane season, expected to be a busy one, is reaching its peak. Most storms hit from August 20 to mid-October, with September 10 marking the statistical height of the season.

(Agencies)