<p><br /> Hurricane Tomas has barrelled through a cluster of eastern Caribbean islands, after passing over Barbados where it knocked down power lines and damaged houses as a tropical storm.<br /> </p><p><br /> The US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Tomas strengthened on Saturday night with 90 miles-per-hour winds and was centered about 45 miles west-southwest of St. Lucia.<br /> </p><p><br /> Tomas, the Atlantic season's 12th hurricane, is expected to drop up to 6 inches of rain in the region.<br /> </p><p><br /> Forecasters said it could become a Category 2 storm on Monday evening and possibly reach Category 3 by midweek, with winds around 115 mph.<br /> </p><p><br /> It was forecast to head toward Jamaica and could unleash heavy rains in southern portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which is struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake and cope with a recent cholera outbreak.<br /> </p>
