PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Tropical Storm Noel lashed Haiti with heavy rains early Monday as it moved across the impoverished Caribbean nation, generating fears of flash flooding.
Noel, the 14th named storm of the Atlantic season, was expected to drop as much as 20 inches of rain on Haiti and the Dominican Republic - which share the island of Hispaniola - before heading on a path east of Cuba toward the Bahamas.
Tropical Storm Noel
http://www.wundergr…">See Noel's progression with this tracking map
The storm weakened overnight as it encountered Hispaniola's mountainous terrain but still poses a serious threat to Haiti, which is recovering from floods that killed at least 37 and sent more than 4,000 people to shelters earlier this month.
Noel had sustained winds of about 45 mph and is expected to move over or near Haiti's western coast Monday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
At 7 a.m. CDT, Noel's poorly organized center was located near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, forecasters said.
The meandering storm was spinning north-northwest at roughly 6 mph. It was expected to lose more strength over Hispaniola, but forecasters said it could become a hurricane once it emerges in the Atlantic. Tropical storm warnings were issued for the entire coast of Haiti, the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
Thank you for coming to the Web site of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. We're working to keep you informed with the latest breaking news.