The storm Noel was upgraded to a hurricane Thursday as it gathered strength while moving into the Atlantic Ocean, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Noel's maximum sustained winds had increased to 75 mph, forecasters said. While the storm's track would remain well off the U.S. coast, forecasters said residents "from North Carolina northward" should listen to their local weather forecasts for updates.

In an 8 p.m. advisory Thursday, the center said the eye of Hurricane Noel was about 115 miles north-northeast of Nassau and about 810 miles west-southwest of Bermuda.

While a tropical storm, Noel triggered deadly flooding and landslides in Cuba and on Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Emergency officials in the Dominican Republic said at least 66 died and 27 were missing after Noel hit the nation, Dominican Today reported. At least 20 people died in Haiti, with another 14 injured and two missing as a result of flooding and mudslides, the Caribbean Broadcasting Corp. reported.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International





Publication date: 02 November 2007   

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