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Olga Swirls Into A Storm

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By NEIL JOHNSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 11, 2007

Updated: 12/11/2007 04:11 pm

TAMPA - The disturbance swirling near the Caribbean Sea grew into Subtropical Storm Olga on Monday night, becoming only the 10th December storm since 1851.

Olga formed shortly before 9 p.m., according to the National Hurricane Center. At 10 p.m., the system was centered about 55 miles east of Puerto Rico and about 300 miles east of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. It was moving toward the west near 15 mph. Forecasters expected the center to be near or over the Dominican Republic today.

The Dominican Republic issued a tropical storm warning Monday night for the northern coast from Cabo Engano westward to the border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. A tropical storm watch was issued for its southern coast.

"It's not well-organized, and it's not going to get much better," said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the hurricane center.
Forecasters warn Olga could still produce heavy squalls and near-gale force winds across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and flash floods and mudslides in Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.

What scientists consider modern hurricane records date to 1851 and show only nine other storms have formed after the official Nov. 30 end of hurricane season.

It is possible others formed in the early 1900s or in the 1800s that did not make landfall or were not observed by ships.

"You can't rule that out. In those days all they had were reports from ships," Feltgen said.

Olga is expected to continue a westerly path across the Caribbean and not approach Florida.

On the projected path only South Florida and the Keys may see some rain from the storm.

"It's not going to help our drought areas," said Ben Nelson, state meteorologist.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib .com.

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