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Hurricane Noel - Tracking/History Map
October 16, A tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa and tracked westward.
October 22, the wave was approaching the Lesser Antilles with cyclonic turning and scattered convection; at the same time, an upper-level low was located to the north of the Leeward Islands.
October 23,The interaction between the wave and the low produced a large mass of disturbed weather.
October 24, the system contained a well-defined low-level circulation about 100 miles (160 km) east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.
Despite unfavorable upper-level winds, convection increased as surface pressures dropped in association with the organizing system.
The low pressure area dropped heavy rainfall while tracking west-southwestward through the northern Leeward Islands and eastern Puerto Rico,and its convection initially remained disorganized. The thunderstorm activity organized further, with a convective mass to the east of the partially exposed circulation.
October 28, National Hurricane Center classified the system as Tropical Depression Sixteen early in the day while located about 195 miles (310 km) south-southeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Initially, the depression was forecasted to track west-northwestward, brushing southwestern Haiti before moving ashore along south-central Cuba.
October 29, Noel, approaching HispaniolaUpon becoming a tropical cyclone the wave was moving to the west-northwest, located to the south of a ridge over the western Atlantic Ocean. By six hours after formation, the center became difficult to locate,though subsequently the depression became much better organized; a large area of convection developed over the center, with some 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 150 miles (235 km) south-southeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. After the center reformed under the convection, the storm quickly strengthened to winds of 60 mph (95 km/h), 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 low-level 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 paralleling the northeastern coast of Cuba while moving around the southwestern periphery of a weakening ridge.
October 30, Tropical Storm Noel made landfall near Gibara, Cuba, with winds of about 60 mph (95 km/h).
The center of Noel remained well-organized as it tracked through eastern Cuba, though its sustained winds quickly diminished to minimal tropical storm force.
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155 mph +
131 - 154 mph
111 - 130 mph
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Watch vs Warning - Know the Difference
A HURRICANE WATCH issued for your part of the coast indicates the possibility that you could experience hurricane conditions within 36 hours. This watch should trigger your family's disaster plan, and protective measures should be initiated, especially those actions that require extra time such as securing a boat, leaving a barrier island, etc.
A HURRICANE WARNING issued for your part of the coast indicates that sustained winds of at least 74 mph are expected within 24 hours or less. Once this warning has been issued, your family should be in the process of completing protective actions and deciding the safest location to be during the storm.
