Tropical Storm Olga (2007)

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Tropical storm Olga
Tropical Storm ( SSHWS )
Olga on December 12th
Olga on December 12th
Emergence December 11, 2007
resolution December 13, 2007
Peak wind
speed
60  mph (95  km / h ) (sustained for 1 minute)
Lowest air pressure 1003  mbar ( hPa ; 29.6  inHg )
dead 40 direct
Property damage 45 million US $ (2007)
Affected
areas 		Puerto Rico , Hispaniola , Central Florida
Season overview:
2007 Atlantic hurricane season

The Tropical Storm Olga was the fifteenth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane 2007 season . In the second week of December, after the official end of the season, a low pressure area formed east of the northernmost islands of the Lesser Antilles . It slowly developed tropical properties, and on the evening of December 10th, the National Hurricane Center classified the system as a subtropical storm - making the 2007 season one of the few years, along with 1887, 1953 and 2003, that had activity both before and after. Olga was also one of the few storms to come overland out of season and with 40 casualties, Olga is the storm with the most deaths in the Atlantic basin since the official end of the season. The storm hit the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic over land on December 11th . A short time later, the subtropical storm changed into a tropical system. Olga passed through Hispaniola and ended up in the Caribbean Sea . Strong wind shear and dry air weakened the storm in the early morning of December 13th to a residual low.

The storm affected areas devastated by Hurricane Noel a month earlier . The rains caused one death in Puerto Rico and 37 confirmed casualties in the Dominican Republic, including twenty deaths when flood gates of a dam in Santiago Province were opened. Two other dead were reported from Haiti .

Storm course

Railway from Olga

In the first week of December 2007, the westward movement of a low altitude led to the formation of a broad near-surface trough east of the northern Lesser Antilles. To the northeast of this trough was a strong ridge , so that the trough slowly moved in a westerly direction, producing occasional convection and slight circular air movement. On December 8th, convection associated with the system began to be permanent. On December 9th, meteorologists at the Tropical Prediction Center began classifying the system using the Hebert-Poteat technique, and several forecasting models predicted the formation of a tropical cyclone . The system with strong winds in the north of the trough continued its westerly course and reached an area with moderately warm sea water. On December 10th, the system formed a near-surface circulation , but the convection of the system had disrupted itself and was well away from the storm center. However, southerly wind shear caused the structure of the system to be very asymmetrical and convection steadily increased near the center. An altitude low was just south of the center, so the National Hurricane Center declared the system to be a subtropical storm at 3:00 a.m. UTC on December 11, about 85 km east of San Juan , Puerto Rico .

Rainfalls from the residual low of Olga in Florida.

After classification as a subtropical cyclone , Olga retained a well-defined outflow, and in the southeast of the strong ridge over the western Atlantic the system moved in a west-southwest direction. As the storm moved along the north coast of Puerto Rico, it intensified slightly, and after the convection increased near the center, Olga made it overland near Punta Cana , Dominican Republic at 6:00 p.m. UTC. A reconnaissance flight into the storm revealed a tight wind gradient and peak winds of 95 km / h and at 0:00 UTC on December 12, the National Hurricane Center re-classified Olga as a tropical storm . At that time, the storm center was still on land. The convection quickly weakened as the storm crossed central Hispaniola , and after reaching the Caribbean Sea , the system lacked the convection it needed to continue to be considered a tropical system. Although the rain bands in the northeast had stronger winds, the center was difficult to see due to dry air masses and strong wind shear. On late December 12th, convection increased over the center, although Olga was weakening to a tropical depression at that point. In the absence of significant convection, the National Hurricane Center stopped issuing warnings on December 13 when Olga was about 130 km northwest of Kingston , Jamaica .

The remaining low continued on its way in a west-northwest direction. The clearly recognizable circulation at low altitude occasionally led to thunderstorms on the Cayman Islands and over Cuba, and the foothills of the moisture reached as far as southern Florida . A small area of ​​convection formed just east of the center and the near-surface circulation remained well defined as Olga neared the Yucatán coast . Olga's remaining depth turned north into the Gulf of Mexico , while a cold front approached the center from the northwest. Late on December 16 and early on the 17th, the low intensified as we approached the west coast of Florida. The persistent winds reached gale force, gusts in Clearwater Beach wind speeds of more than force 12 on the Beaufort scale . Ultimately, the remaining low was absorbed by the cold front as it passed over Florida. This cold front was associated with a strong winter storm that affected most of the eastern part of North America, killing a total of 25 people in six US states and supplying three Canadian provinces with the humid air masses of Olga when it was mostly over water on the east coast of United States moved northeast.

Preparations

On December 10, the Tropical Prediction Center issued a storm warning for waters north of the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic related to a precursor disorder that would later become Olga. When the system was declared a subtropical cyclone, the government of the Dominican Republic issued the warning of a tropical storm for the north coast between Cabo Engaño and the state border with Haiti ; readiness for storms was declared in the section around Santo Domingo for the south coast . Before the storm hit the country, the Haiti government issued warnings of a tropical storm in the north of the country. Later warnings were also issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas .

The National Weather Service's San Juan office issued a flood warning for Puerto Rico, including the islands of Culebra and Vieques . Extensive rainfall also prompted the warning of flash floods in parts of the island. The ferry service between Fajardo and the islands of Culebra and Vieques was temporarily suspended while Olga was passing through. In the Dominican Republic, authorities set up emergency shelters in 15 provinces and asked citizens to evacuate low-lying areas during the passage of the storm; 22 communities were evacuated.

Effects

Olga's rainfall in Puerto Rico

The cyclone dropped light to moderate amounts of rain over Puerto Rico. whose maximum value was measured at Ponce at 283 mm . The rain raised water levels on several rivers in Puerto Rico , including the Arecibo Big River , which culminated a few feet above the high water mark. As a result of the passage from Olga, around 79,000 residents lost power and 144,000 were without drinking water. In the north of the island, the rain caused a mudslide, killing a motorist in his vehicle.

In the Dominican Republic, heavy rain was observed widespread , locally more than 250 mm. The rains caused flooding on the Río Yaque del Norte and initially threatened the Tavera Dam to burst, putting the lives of thousands in the province of Santiago at risk. The authorities therefore decided on December 12th at 04:00 UTC to open all six flood gates, which released 6100 m³ / s of water into the river. The lowering caused a tidal wave around 20 m high, which surprised many because the step was made according to local time in the late evening and the flood gates opened only 15 minutes after the announcement. The tsunami killed at least 35 people (other reports put the number twenty) and flooded homes in seven cities. Two other deaths from the storm were reported from other parts of the country. In total, more than 34,000 residents fled their homes and more than 7,500 homes were damaged. The damage in the country has been estimated at $ 1.5 billion DOP (about $ 45 million US in 2007 ). Two deaths were reported from the northern parts of the country in neighboring Haiti . A weather station on the Turks and Caicos Islands reported sustained winds of 58 km / h on December 11th.

While Olga was still in the western Caribbean, rains set in along a trough in its northeastern quadrant on December 14th. These totaled 180mm in Nettles Island, Florida. The residual depth intensified due to occasional convection near and east of the center as the system approached Florida. On December 16, between four and five a.m. local time, Clearwater Beach reported an air pressure of 1002 hPa and sustained winds of 70 km / h with gusts of 125 km / h. When a cold front approached, the system suffered and disintegrated before reaching the Florida coast.

Regardless of the death toll, the name has not been removed from the list of tropical cyclone names and can be used again in the 2013 season .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d David Roth: Rainfall Summary for Tropical Storm Olga ( English ) Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. 2007. Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 8, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov
  2. ↑ a b Gladys Rubio: December 7 Tropical Weather Discussion ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Accessed on November 8, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / ftp.met.fsu.edu  
  3. ↑ Patricia Wallace: December 8 Tropical Weather Discussion ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Accessed on November 8, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / ftp.met.fsu.edu  
  4. ↑ Mike Tichacek: December 9 Tropical Weather Discussion ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Accessed on November 8, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / ftp.met.fsu.edu  
  5. ↑ Mike Formosa: December 9 Tropical Weather Discussion ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Accessed on November 8, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / ftp.met.fsu.edu  
  6. ↑ James Franklin: December 9 Special Tropical Disturbance Statement ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Accessed on November 8, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / ftp.met.fsu.edu  
  7. ↑ James Franklin: December 10 Special Tropical Disturbance Statement . National Hurricane Center. 2007. Accessed on November 8, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / ftp.met.fsu.edu  
  8. ^ A b John Cangialosi: December 10 Tropical Weather Discussion ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Accessed on November 8, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / ftp.met.fsu.edu  
  9. ↑ Michelle Mainelli: Tropical Cyclone Report Tropical Storm Olga (AL172007) December 11-12, 2007 ; National Hurricane Center, January 24, 2008
  10. ↑ a b Beven: Subtropical Storm Olga Discussion One ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  11. ↑ Knabb & Mainelli: Subtropical Storm Olga Discussion Two ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  12. ↑ a b Franklin: Subtropical Storm Olga Discussion Four ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  13. ↑ a b Avila: Tropical Storm Olga Public Advisory Four-A ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  14. ↑ Franklin & Mainelli: Tropical Storm Olga Discussion Seven ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  15. ↑ Franklin & Mainelli: Tropical Storm Olga Discussion Eight ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  16. ↑ Avila: Tropical Depression Olga Discussion Nine ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  17. ↑ Gladys Rubio: December 13 Tropical Weather Discussion ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Accessed on November 8, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / ftp.met.fsu.edu  
  18. ↑ Gladys Rubio: December 14 Tropical Weather Discussion ( English ) National Hurricane Center. 2007. Accessed on November 8, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / ftp.met.fsu.edu  
  19. ↑ Mike Tichacek: December 15 Tropical Weather Discussion . National Hurricane Center. 2007. Accessed on November 8, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / ftp.met.fsu.edu  
  20. ↑ Beven: Subtropical Storm Olga Public Advisory One ( English ) 2007. Accessed November 8, 2008.
  21. ↑ Franklin & Brown: Subtropical Storm Olga Public Advisory Three ( English ) 2007. Retrieved on 8 November, 2008.
  22. ^ Franklin & Brown: Subtropical Storm Olga Public Advisory Four ( English ) 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  23. ↑ a b Puerto Rico National Weather Service: Watches, warnings, and advisories for Tropical Storm Olga in Puerto Rico ( English ) 2007. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Accessed on March 5 2011th
  24. ↑ Associated Press: Domestic News by State / Province (English) . December 11, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007. 
  25. ↑ Michael Melia: Subtropical Storm Olga spreads heavy rains across Puerto Rico (English) , Associated Press. December 11, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007. 
  26. ↑ a b Ramon Almanzar: Subtropical Storm Olga forces evacuations in Dominican Republic (English) , Associated Press. December 11, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007. 
  27. ↑ Ramon Almanzar:Tropical Storm Olga forces evacuations in Dominican Republic; one killed in Puerto Rico, Associated Press. December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007. 
  28. ↑ 40 dead in Caribbean tropical storm , Agence France-Press / News.com.au. December 15, 2007. Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved on December 16, 2007. 
  29. ↑ Los Angeles Times: Tropical storm leaves 14 dead . December 13, 2007. 
  30. ↑ Associated Press: Dominican officials say Tropical Storm Olga causes major crop losses . December 15, 2007. Retrieved December 20, 2007. 
  31. ↑ Situation Reports: Caribbean: Tropical Storm Olga - Dec 2007, Dominican Republic: Tropical Storm Olga OCHA Situation Report No. 3
  32. ↑ Associated Press: Dominican president orders probe into opening of dam during Tropical Storm Olga . December 18, 2007. Retrieved December 20, 2007.