Tropical Storm Noel grazes Cuba, heads for Bahamas

[Scurrilous]

Source: Reuters

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"Tropical Storm Noel weakened slightly as it moved inland over northern Cuba on Tuesday, but the storm that killed more than a dozen people in the Dominican Republic was expected to briefly become a hurricane later in the week somewhere near the Bahamas.

By 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT), the center of the storm was located 35 miles (60 km) west-northwest of Holguin, Cuba, and its maximum sustained winds had dropped to 50 miles per hour (85 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Computer models showed the hurricane heading northwest toward Florida but making a sharp turn at some point to the northeast and swirling out over the Bahamas into the Atlantic.

The 14th named storm of the 2007 Atlantic storm season was not expected to strengthen significantly because of unfavorable wind conditions in the atmosphere. But the hurricane center forecast Noel would briefly become a minimal hurricane on its closest approach to southeast Florida."


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/americasCrisis/idUSN30604004

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S. Fla. under wind, surf warnings as Noel approaches

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"Trapped between Tropical Storm Noel to the south and a powerful weather system to the north, South Florida swayed Tuesday under high winds and rough surf -- and warnings that both soon will intensify.

Scattered power outages are possible.

"We're closely monitoring the situation," said Michael Williams, a spokesman for Florida Power & Light. "Our crews are poised and ready for anything that might happen."

Noel weakened a bit Tuesday morning after taking an unexpected jog over Cuba, but forecasters said the storm could reintensify into a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday as it passes over or near Andros Island in the Bahamas.

Watches and warnings covered eastern and central Cuba and the central and northwestern Bahamas."

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