Hurricane Felix in the Caribbean was upgraded Sunday night to a Category 5 storm as it plowed its way towards Central America, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

As the hurricane's winds increased to 270 kilometres per hour from 160 km/h, Felix was upgraded from a Category 2 storm to Category 5 — the highest on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.

Hurricane Felix, as seen from a satellite as it churns across the central portion of the Caribbean Sea on Sunday.
(NOAA/Associated Press)

Before the storm strengthened, Felix — the second hurricane of the Atlantic season — brought heavy rains and high winds to Bonaire and Curacaoin the Netherlands Antilles and to Aruba.

There were reports of flooded streets and downed trees, but no word of any injuries.

At 11 p.m. ET, the storm's centre was about 550 kilometres southeast of Kingston, Jamaica. A hurricane watch has been issued for parts of Honduras from Limon to the Honduras-Nicaragua border, the hurricane centre said.

Felix ripped roofs off at least two homes and destroyed a popular concert venue on the island of Grenada on Saturday. Orchards were left in ruin.

The storm was on track to skirt Grand Cayman Island and the northern coastline of Honduras on Tuesday before hitting Belize on Wednesday, the Florida-based hurricane centre said. Tropical storm watches remain in effect for Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

Elsewhere, tropical storm Henriette moved out to the Pacific on Sunday after killing six people in western Mexico.

Three children died when a mudslide collapsed part of their home in Acapulco. Three more people were killed by a falling boulder dislodged by the heavy rain in the resort city.

With files from the Associated Press