Weaker Noel Soaks Cuba

Furious storm slammed Caribbean, but is expected to spare Florida

(NEWSER) - Tropical storm Noel was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane last night, and has claimed 108 lives, making it the deadliest Atlantic storm this year. The island of Hispaniola suffered nearly all the fatalities, with 66 reported in the Dominican Republic and 40 in Haiti, most of them in or near the capital of Port-au-Prince. More»

Expected to make landfall later today

(NEWSER) - Hurricane Gustav is expected to make landfall in Haiti later today, Bloomberg reports, buffeting a country already hard hit by Tropical Storm Fay earlier this month. Gustav was upgraded from a tropical storm earlier this morning, after strengthening over the Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center said that preparations should “be rushed to completion,” warning of possible “life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.” More»

Tropical storm carries 50 mph winds

(NEWSER) - Tourists were ordered to evacuate the Florida Keys this morning, as Tropical Storm Fay, which has already killed six in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is expected to hit the Keys as soon as midnight tonight, the Miami Herald reports. With winds at 50mph and rising, Fay could be a Category 1 hurricane by the time it hits the Keys and heads for the west coast of the state, forecasters say. More»

(AP) - Flooding from Tropical Storm Fay killed four people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and authorities warned Saturday that the storm could reach hurricane strength as it barreled toward Cuba. Florida's Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency and said Fay threatened the state with a "major disaster." Forecasters said Fay could bring hurricane-force winds to the Florida Keys as soon as Monday. More»

43,000 New Englanders lose power in winds up to 70 mph

(NEWSER) - New England was only hit with the remnants of Hurricane Noel, but that was enough to cut power for about 43,000 people, with winds howling up to 70 mph. Massachusetts felt the brunt of the storm, with Cape Cod and coastal communities suffering most of the outages. The storm then continued up into Nova Scotia, where 100,000 were still without power today, reports Reuters. More»