In US hurricane terms, Hurricane Dennis has been a bit of a fizzer, and leading risk modeller Risk Management Solutions has revised its insured US loss estimate down from $US5 billion to $US1-3 billion.

The category 3 storm, with sustained winds of about 200kmh, killed 10 people in Cuba but did minimal infrastructure damage along the south-eastern coast of the US.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Emily is menacing communities in the southern Caribbean. It is expected to reach southern Texas later this week. Meteorologists at the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami say Emily is the strongest hurricane to form this early in the Atlantic hurricane season since record-keeping began 145 years ago.