The fourteenth named storm of the 2007 North Atlantic Hurricane Season has been christened.
It is Noel. Pronounced like “knoll.”
Tropical Storm Noel is south of the island of Hispaniola this afternoon. It is producing heavy rains over the island.
The center has been relocated some 45 miles to the northeast. Movement is NNW at 6 mph.
Top winds are 50 mph. Central pressure 996 mb. Additional strengthening is expected. Noel could become a hurricane, and even a major hurricane depending on the track.
Most of the models curve it to the northeast eventually. The exception was the NOGAPS from last night, that carried it only slowly westward to the western tip of Cuba.
It will be interesting to watch, especially for South Florida.
