Hurricane Tomas

Tropical Storm Tomas could re-intensify into rare November hurricane

By the CNN Wire Staff

November 1, 2010 5:08 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Storm is slowing and will likely turn to the northeast later in the week
• NEW: No warnings or watches are currently in effect
• Storm could approach Haiti, the Dominican Republic or Cuba

Miami, Florida (CNN) -- A disorganized Tropical Storm Tomas limped toward the central Caribbean Monday, but forecasters said the storm could re-intensify into a rare November hurricane later this week.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, the center of Tomas was about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north-northeast of Aruba and about 400 miles (640 kilometers) south-southeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), with higher gusts, and was moving west at 12 mph (19 kph).
No coastal watches or warnings were in effect associated with Tomas, according to the Miami, Florida-based National Hurricane Center. But the center urged residents of Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Haiti to keep an eye on the storm, which is expected to continue westward over the next day or two and slow down.
Tracking maps show that Tomas could take a sharp turn to the northeast and approach Haiti later in the week, possibly as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm could deal another blow to the island nation, which is still recovering from a devastating January earthquake and currently battling a cholera outbreak. But "Tomas could still hit anywhere from the Dominican Republic to eastern Cuba," CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said.

Video: Tomas hits the Caribbean

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Tropical storm-force winds extend out 140 miles (220 kilometers) from Tomas' center, mainly to the east, the Hurricane Center said.
Tomas is expected to continue weakening, but "restrengthening could begin by late Tuesday," forecasters said.
The forecast track for Tomas, a storm which formed in late October, is typical for November hurricanes, CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider wrote on a blog for HLN's "Morning Express."
Although hurricanes are less likely to form in November, "the month isn't always hurricane-free," Schneider said. "Two fairly recent November hurricanes include Hurricane Lenny in 1999 and Hurricane Michelle in 2001."
September is usually the most likely month for tropical storm formation, according to Schneider. But "often this time of year, the westerly wind is strong enough to steer the storms out to sea into the Atlantic, rather than northwestward into the Gulf of Mexico."
The Atlantic hurricane season ends November 30.
Tomas lashed the Caribbean island of St. Vincent over the weekend, prompting about 1,000 people to enter shelters. Two people were injured, including one critically, when they tried to repair roof damage during the storm, said Michelle Forbes, acting director of National Emergency Management.

Tomas also left downed trees that blocked many roads, Forbes said, and large areas of the island lacked power. More than 100 homes sustained roof damage, she said, and authorities expected the number to rise.

-Although Tomas is small right now they are expecting it to grow as the week continues.  The thing that I thought most interesting it that although it hit Haiti only as a category 1 it was still going to have major effects on the area.  I thought this was very interesting because Haiti deals with many hurricanes annually and at a much higher category but it is still recovering from an earthquake so at the time it is unable to deal with any hazard.  A harzard occurring in this area will increase its complexity and cause many more problems then in normal conditions and will cause the recovery period to become even longer.