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Olga Losing Tropical Punch

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 12, 2007

Updated: 12/12/2007 11:23 am

TAMPA - Olga may not be a tropical storm for long, as the National Hurricane Center says it's losing much of the closed circulation that qualifies it as a tropical cyclone.

The hurricane center isn't erasing Olga's designation as a tropical storm just yet but probably will be this afternoon.

There still is a band of tropical storm-strength winds northeast of what might be the storm's center.

The weakened Olga may still bring some rain to eastern Cuba and pump enough moisture over Florida to increase the chance for rain this weekend when a cold front approaches.

The forecast has Olga becoming just an area of low pressure heading west or west-northwest by Thursday morning.

And forecasters say they don't see much chance Olga will regenerate in the Caribbean since it's moving into an area of contrary winds and dry air.

That's good because the latest forecast track has Olga's heading into the Gulf of Mexico between the Yucatan Peninsula and western tip of Cuba.

By then, though, there really shouldn't be anything left of this year's 15th named storm, forecasters say.

Olga formed near the Virgin Islands on Monday, 10 days after the end of the official hurricane season.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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