Tropical Storm Noel Flirts with Florida -affects Keys
By Mel Fabrikant Wednesday, October 31, 2007, 01:18 PM EDT
According to AccuWeather.com, Tropical Storm Noel will not make landfall over Florida, but will lash south Florida with strong wind gusts, rain, and pounding surf through Thursday. Rough seas will build along the rest of the Eastern Seaboard as the storm heads northeast.
The strong southwesterly winds blowing above the surface tonight will turn Noel to the northeast and away from Florida. Through Thursday Noel will move through the northwestern Bahamas, coming to within 50 to 100 miles of Miami. Though no landfall is expected, Noel will impact Florida over the next several days with drenching showers and strong wind gusts.
A tight pressure gradient between Noel and a strong area of high pressure will send strong northeasterly winds onshore, while creating strong surf, dangerous rip currents, beach erosion, and coastal flooding. Seas will be rough off the shore of the Carolinas and Georgia. Windy conditions and a few showers will spread farther inland in Florida along the Southeast coast. However, rain is not likely to reach the drought-ravaged interior areas in the Southeast.
As Tropical Storm Noel today moves back over the warm water between Cuba and the Bahamas, it will have a brief opportunity to gather strength, possibly reaching hurricane strength. By Friday, Noel will get picked up by the fast-moving flow of the jet stream, keeping the storm over the Atlantic and away from the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with increased wave heights the only noticeable effect from the storm.
The strong southwesterly winds blowing above the surface tonight will turn Noel to the northeast and away from Florida. Through Thursday Noel will move through the northwestern Bahamas, coming to within 50 to 100 miles of Miami. Though no landfall is expected, Noel will impact Florida over the next several days with drenching showers and strong wind gusts.
A tight pressure gradient between Noel and a strong area of high pressure will send strong northeasterly winds onshore, while creating strong surf, dangerous rip currents, beach erosion, and coastal flooding. Seas will be rough off the shore of the Carolinas and Georgia. Windy conditions and a few showers will spread farther inland in Florida along the Southeast coast. However, rain is not likely to reach the drought-ravaged interior areas in the Southeast.
As Tropical Storm Noel today moves back over the warm water between Cuba and the Bahamas, it will have a brief opportunity to gather strength, possibly reaching hurricane strength. By Friday, Noel will get picked up by the fast-moving flow of the jet stream, keeping the storm over the Atlantic and away from the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with increased wave heights the only noticeable effect from the storm.
