Hurricane Noel

A tropical wave exited the coast of Africa on October 16. It tracked westward, initially without organization, and by October 22 was interacting with a trough while approaching the Lesser Antilles. This caused a low-pressure area to develop on October 23 about east-northeast of the northern Lesser Antilles. The system continued westward with disorganized convection, and was unable to develop further due to strong wind shear. Turning west-southwestward, the low passed over the United States Virgin Islands on October 25 and just southeast of Puerto Rico the next day. Decreasing wind shear on October 27 allowed the thunderstorms to increase over the center late on October 27. After further organization, the system developed into Tropical Depression Sixteen at 0000 UTC on October 28, about south-southeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Upon becoming a tropical cyclone, the tropical depression was moving to the west-northwest, under the steering currents of a high pressure area over the western Atlantic Ocean. though subsequently the tropical depression became much better organized; a large area of convection developed over the center, with several rainbands to its south. Based on reports from Hurricane Hunters, the National Hurricane Center upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm Noel at 1815 UTC on October 28, while located about south-southeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. After the center re-developed beneath the thunderstorms, the storm quickly strengthened to winds of , and for several hours, the cyclone was drifting to the south of Hispaniola. Noel began to lose organization as a nearby upper-level low increased wind shear, with the circulation becoming ill-defined, as it further interacted with the mountainous terrain of Haiti. The storm crossed western Haiti as a disorganized tropical storm on October 29, and subsequently began moving parallel to the northeastern coast of Cuba, while moving around the southwestern periphery of a weakening ridge. On October 30, Noel made landfall near Gibara, Cuba, with winds of about . The center of Noel remained well-organized as it tracked through eastern Cuba, though its sustained winds quickly diminished to minimal tropical storm force. Early on October 31, Noel began drifting to the north-northwest, in response to the approach of a short-wave trough from the west and the eastward shift of the mid-level ridge. A large area of strong convective rainbands persisted to its east, though due to increased upper-level wind shear, there was little convection near the center. Shortly after 1200 UTC, on October 31, Noel emerged off the north coast of Cuba, and subsequently, the cyclone became better organized as storm's the circulation became better associated with the convection. While located just off the north coast of Cuba, the motion of Noel was nearly stationary, though forecasters indicated it could have executed a small cyclonic loop. On October 31, the Canadian Hurricane Centre began tracking the storm. Convection increased early on November 1, though initially the center remained to the southwest of the large area of thunderstorms. At 1800 UTC that day, the storm passed over the Bahamian island of New Providence near the city of Nassau. Later that day, the center tracked beneath the convection, and Noel accelerated northeastward, in the southwesterly flow ahead of an approaching trough; as it did so, the center became elongated and distorted. The cyclone maintained a large, round area of deep convection with well-defined outflow, and an eye feature became evident on satellite imagery. Based on reports from Hurricane Hunters, the National Hurricane Center upgraded Noel to hurricane status early on November 2, about north-northeast of Nassau, Bahamas. Noel's convection began to wane as it moved through progressively cooler waters, and as the storm lost tropical characteristics, its wind field expanded. By late on November 2, the inner core had substantially diminished, and the thermodynamic structure of the cyclone had become asymmetrical and frontal. As Noel began transitioning into an extratropical cyclone, the National Hurricane Center issued their final advisory on Hurricane Noel. Early on November 3, Noel's extratropical remnant attained winds of , and it gradually turned to the north-northeast. As the center of Noel approached Nova Scotia, its large circulation produced strong winds across all of Atlantic Canada and New England, and on November 4, the storm tracked across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. At 6 PM AST (2200 UTC) on November 4, as the storm was over Labrador, the Canadian Hurricane Center declared that Noel had lost all tropical characteristics and changed its designation from post-tropical to extratropical. The extratropical low continued to the northeast and made landfall over southwest Greenland on the afternoon of November 5, bringing tropical storm force winds to the area. Noel's circulation dissipated over Greenland later that night. While its lowest barometric pressure as a tropical system was 980 mb, on November 4, while located near Labrador, it registered a minimum pressure of 966 mb. Noel's remnants subsequently turned east and crossed the Atlantic Ocean, before merging into the powerful European windstorm Cyclone Tilo, over the Norwegian Sea, on November 7. ==Preparations==

Caribbean on October 28 The San Juan National Weather Service issued widespread flood and flash flood warnings and watches across Puerto Rico. Due to unsettled conditions, officials advised residents to stay out of harm's way and off the roadways. By the time Noel made landfall on Haiti, a tropical storm warning was either recommended or put in place for the southern coast of Hispaniola from Barahona, Dominican Republic, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In Haiti, Health care centers were advised to activate any emergency plans, and medicine stocks were pre-positioned if needed. Residents in flood-prone areas were evacuated. In the departments of Sud-Est, Sud, Grand'Anse, Nippes, Ouest, Centre and Artibonie, a red alert was issued, while an orange alert was issued for Nord-Est, Nord and Nord-Ouest. In the Dominican Republic, 14,500 people sought protection in shelters. About 1,000 inmates were evacuated from a prison north of the country's capital city. The National Emergency Commission authorized the opening of a number of shelters, and the Dominican Red Cross activated search and rescue teams. The Coordination Centre set up a "crisis room", assigning workers to 24-hour shifts. A hurricane watch was issued for southeastern Cuba; a tropical storm warning was in effect for the southeastern Bahamas, including the Turks and Caicos Islands, and a tropical storm watch was put in place for the central Bahamas. A tropical storm warning was also issued for the northwestern Bahamas. On the island of Andros, residents took extra care in securing their boats. As the storm tracked further to the northwest, a tropical storm warning was put in place for the Cuban provinces of Guantánamo, Holguín, Las Tunas, Ciego de Ávila, and Camagüey. The Cuban Institute of Meteorology advised caution to residents, due to previous heavy rainfall leaving grounds saturated. Several schools were closed during the storm's onslaught. In Camagüey, thousands of cattle were moved to higher ground, and roughly 3,000 students working to harvest coffee crops were forced to return home. A United States Naval base in Guantanamo Bay stacked sandbags to protect structures in areas vulnerable to flooding, namely those in low-lying terrain. United States and Canada Late on October 31, the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for southeastern Florida, as tropical storm force winds were expected to come close to the coastline. As the extratropical storm progressed north, wind advisories were posted along the coast of New England, and a winter storm watch was issued for northern Maine. The Cape Cod and Islands division of the Red Cross opened a number of shelters on Nantucket and along coastal Massachusetts. Stores on Cape Cod were closed; some of them boarded up windows, and the U.S. Coast Guard completed preparations and warned sailors of the storm. Prior to the arrival of Noel into Atlantic Canada, heavy rain and strong wind warnings were put in place for many locations in southeastern Canada. The Canadian Hurricane Centre issued hurricane-force wind warnings for waters to the southwest of the Maritimes and gale warnings for waters elsewhere off of southeastern Canada. The Halifax and Montreal Storm Prediction Centers of the Meteorological Service of Canada issued high winds and heavy rain warning for all the areas of the Maritimes, Newfoundland, Labrador and Eastern Quebec, as well as heavy snow warnings for certain regions. ==Impact==

Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico Heavy rainfall fell across the northern Lesser Antilles for several days in association with the precursor disturbance, unofficially reaching over on Saint Croix and Saint Thomas. The precursor disturbance also dropped heavy rainfall across Puerto Rico for several days, leaving grounds saturated and causing surface runoff. Flash flooding was reported in Carolina, and a mudslide occurred in Utuado. Flooding occurred along several rivers, including the Río de la Plata, with a reading of above flood stage at Toa Baja reported late on October 27. In response to high water levels, officials opened dam gates along the Río de la Plata and the Río Carraízo. There were no official reports of fatalities. Dominican Republic In the Dominican Republic, the highest rainfall amount reported was at Padre Las Casas. People in the path of the flooding escaped to roof and tree tops; of which 6,000 were completely destroyed. Many roads and bridges were destroyed, isolating some villages from outside civilization; at least 21 bridges in the country were washed away or collapsed. Severe crop losses were reported. The primary agricultural damages were to plantain, banana, tomato and red onion crops. In some locations, production of such fruits was completely lost. Crop damage in the country totaled $77.7 million (2007 USD). Livestock losses were also reported. There was severe damage to 40% of water distribution, and 60% of 122 aqueducts. Due to health concerns and the onslaught of disease, some medical centers reached maximum capacity. In all, the storm caused at least 87 fatalities in the country, and 42 others were reported missing. However, because many villages were isolated, these totals may not reflect the actual damage. Five days of rainfall caused severe flooding and mudslides, affecting about 3,252 families. In the vulnerable country to flooding, about 500 houses were damaged by the floods' onslaught, of which 400 were completely destroyed. The cities that were the worst affected by the flooding were Cayes, Cantaloupe, Camp Perrin, Chantal, Maniche, Holy louis of the South and Torbeck. The main road to the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, was blocked, in addition to other roads throughout the country. The Haitian Civil Protection Office initially attributed 18 deaths to Noel in the country; two additional deaths were reported, one due to flooding and another due to being crushed by a tree. and 104 were injured. The rainfall caused at least 20 mudslides across the island; In Cuba, the storm dropped about of rainfall in six hours in the city of Baracoa, which overflowed reservoirs in the region. The highest 24 hour total noted was at Mangos de Baraguá, where fell between the mornings of October 29 and October 30. Strong winds and rough waves were reported along the northern coastline. and destroyed about 120 homes in Camagüey. Flooding isolated a few areas, One fatality was reported in Cuba; total damage is estimated at $500 million (2007 USD). Extensive flooding was reported, especially on Abaco Island, forcing the evacuation of over 700 people. Long Island was hit the worst, where flood waters reportedly reached deep. Residents of the island deemed the damage "devastating", reporting that flood waters were the highest in 60 years. In some locations, houses were under several feet of water, while roads throughout the Bahamas suffered damage. The Deadman's Cay Airport was also flooded, and on the island of Exuma, six of the nine schools received extensive damage. About 16,000 people were affected by the floods, including 10,000 on Long Island. The Nassau International Airport was closed due to the storm, and most cruise ships failed to arrive on schedule. One fatality occurred when a man on the island of Exuma abandoned a stalled truck, and was subsequently swept away by flood waters into a nearby pond. When Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham visited hard-hit areas to assess the damage, he stated that it would be possible for Public Works to "be able to get some pumps in to pump some of the water out." However, he also noted that, "In some areas that will be very difficult because you have ponds on both sides of the road." The interaction of Noel and a ridge to its north produced strong, gusty winds and high waves along the east coast of the state. Beach erosion was significant, amounting to about $4 million (2007 USD) in damage. Near West Palm Beach, a sand dune was eroded to its foundation. In other areas, large portions of beach were washed away, prompting concerns about properties and structures along the shore. Rainfall was light, with local rainfall amounts up to as Noel's rain bands moved in from the Atlantic. and New England As an extratropical cyclone, Noel interacted with high pressure building in from the northwest, forming a tight pressure gradient that produced moderate winds along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, primarily on November 2. At Cedar Island, sustained winds of were reported. Along the coast from Cape Lookout northward, gusts peaked at around . The storm produced strong waves, flooding NC 12 with up to of water and sand on November 3. About 6,000 people lost power after winds knocked down a power line. Eight oceanfront properties were damaged, and damage in North Carolina totaled $72,000 (2007 USD). Beach erosion was reported in New Jersey, in some cases eroding a vertical drop. On Long Island, strong winds knocked down trees and power lines. On November 3, the western side of the storm hit eastern New England, particularly coastal Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine, with hurricane-force wind gusts. Massachusetts reported the highest wind gust of , with sustained winds topping out at . Throughout Cape Cod, trees and tree limbs were downed. Rainfall peaked at at Cutler Rainwise, Maine, while other reports ranged from across the region. In northern Maine, temperatures were cold enough to support of snowfall. several beachfront houses were severely damaged. A few roads were closed, mainly due to flooding and downed trees and tree limbs. Old North Wharf in Nantucket was damaged beyond repair, while numerous small boats were washed ashore. Power outages were widespread; about 80,000 customers in Massachusetts, mostly on Cape Cod, and 9,000 in Maine lost electric power. Despite the effects, no fatalities or significant property damage were reported. Atlantic Canada and Quebec The storm continued on into Atlantic Canada with full force in the latter part of November 3 and early on November 4. Many flights were cancelled out of several airports, and around 150,000 people in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia lost power for several days, due to high winds and "salt fog" disabling the power grid. Flooding was also reported due to the heavy rainfall. In Prince Edward Island, 10,000 people lost electricity. Newfoundland was relatively unaffected, although ferries between it and Nova Scotia were canceled for the entire weekend and winds peaked at in Wreckhouse. Over of rainfall was received in some areas, and waves of over were reported in the Atlantic, off the coast of Nova Scotia. Several coastal roads were washed out, with boulders thrown far on shore by the pounding surf. One fish farm in Nova Scotia took $1,000,000 in damage alone, losing almost all of its catch. In eastern Quebec, up to of rain fell in Gaspésie, Anticosti, and Eastern Côte-Nord, causing flooding in several areas. Severe rains flooded the water treatment facility in Percé, Quebec, leaving the city under a boil-water advisory; the city was also cut from the rest of the province as the heavy rains made a short section of Quebec Route 132 unusable. In Quebec, just under 19,000 Hydro-Québec customers lost power, and activity was affected at several Côte-Nord plants, including plants in the aluminum sector. A major transmission line in the Minganie region was damaged by the heavy wet snow and locally freezing rain, causing blackouts and school closures. One fatality related to the storm was reported in Canada when a boat capsized. Western Europe After crossing Atlantic Canada, Noel's remnants turned east and accelerated across the Atlantic Ocean before being absorbed by Cyclone Tilo over the Norwegian Sea several days later. Subsequently, on 8–9 November, the storm surge from the combined system led to the North Sea flood of 2007, leading to flooding in coastal Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. ==Aftermath==

The government of the Dominican Republic distributed emergency supplies to 145,000 families following the storm, including food, blankets, mattresses, and mosquito nets. Storm flooding led to an outbreak of leptospirosis in the Dominican Republic in the weeks following the passage of Noel, causing 25 deaths and infecting 193 others. The government of Haiti allocated about US$1.5 million for those affected by the storm. ==See also==