Isidore causing 'catastrophic damage' in Cuba

Waves kicked up by Hurricane Isidore swamp a street in La Coloma, near Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on Friday.

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MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Hurricane Isidore, packing 100 mph winds, relentlessly battered the western tip of Cuba Friday night, dumping more than 2 feet of rain and pounding the coast with a storm surge of 8 to 12 feet above normal.

At 11 p.m. EDT, the storm was about 40 miles (64 km) north-northeast of Cabo San Antonio on the western tip of Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.

"There is just a very intense battering of waves," said Christopher Juckins, a meteorologist with the center. "Those near the coast have suffered extreme or catastrophic damage."

He said forecasters were hearing reports of homes being swept into the sea near the coastal town of San Dino. Juckins said it was difficult to get further details about just how bad the storm is in that area because much of the communications are down.

Isidore has slowed throughout the day, drifting northwest, furthering the destruction for the island.

Hurricane Isidore At 11 p.m. EDT Friday Latitude: 22.4 degrees north Longitude: 84.6 degrees west Position: Western tip of Cuba Next advisory: 2 a.m. EDT

"This has just been prolonging the damage for Cuba," said Juckins.

Cuban President Fidel Castro was overseeing the emergency efforts in his nation. More than 250,000 residents and tourists were evacuated from low lying areas to high ground earlier in the day, along with thousands of livestock. Residents also lined up outside stores to stock up on food, water, candles and batteries.

Forecasters predicted Isidore would enter the Gulf of Mexico late Friday, moving west-northwest around 7 mph.

"Some strengthening is expected during the next 24 hours and Isidore could become a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico," an advisory from the National Hurricane Center said.

The Cuban Meteorological Service recorded winds of 84 mph at Cabo San Antonio at 5 p.m.

Juckins said hurricane center data indicated parts of Cuba may already have had 30 inches of rain, and "it's still coming down."

The government of Mexico put the Yucatan Peninsula from Progresso to Tulum -- including the island of Cozumel -- under a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch, and most of western Cuba remained under a hurricane warning.

Juckins said on its current track, forecasters believe the storm would make landfall just north of the Yucatan Peninsula, possibly early next week. But he also said once the storm enters the Gulf, almost anything could happen.

Meanwhile, another system, subtropical depression twelve, formed Friday in the central Atlantic. Forecasters said the system is not an immediate threat to land areas.

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