Noel is expected to become Hurricane Noel. Looking at the expected

[alfredo]

path and strength, Nova Scotia could be hit by a hurricane this Sunday. Newfoundland could be hit too.

[malaise]

1. Noel is already worse than Hurricane Dean

The loss of life and destruction across DR, Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba defies belief. We've had three deaths, mudslides, flooding, bridge and road destruction and the rain is still falling. Yesterday is the first time I saw our campus flood - in 32 years. They had to close two gates which created unbelievable gridlock on all the roads around the other exits.
It took me three hours to get home - a fifteen minute drive.

Rivers are in spate and gullies are over-flowing. I don't see any relief before Saturday. I also can't remember a storm that moved more slowly across these islands. Yesterday Noel stopped dead and then started moving again at 2mph. Noel is a massive rain system. If this system was a Cat 2 hurricane, it would have been worse than Mitch.

[Love Bug]

2. That's terrible!

Take care of yourself, malaise.

[malaise]

3. Here's a report

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20071101/lead/lead1.html

I love this photo.

Clifford Williams gives his 82-year-old father, Constantine Williams, a piggy-back ride to the doctor yesterday. Mr. Williams said his father was traumatised after his home was badly damaged by a landslide that killed 25-year-old Laura Reid, a next-door neighbour who was staying at the house in the community of Pleasant View, near Gordon Town Road, St. Andrew. Lorane Butler, the elderly man's pregnant granddaughter, was admitted at hospital.

There were two more deaths overnight.

Another report
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20071101T010000-0500_128916_OBS_DEADLY_RAIN.asp

I'm safe and don't have to leave home today. Thanks. :hi:

Add.

[alfredo]

4. I'm glad you made it through. I just wonder how the people up in

Canada are going to handle a hurricane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canada_hurricanes

[malaise]

6. We always make it - we live in a nice safe neighbourhood

The poor aren't so lucky. There are rare exceptions like the old lady in Hope Pastures. Illegal building in the hills above that community have led to mudslides coming down on their homes. That was once a very safe neighbourhood.

[alfredo]

9. We have the same situation here. The poor can only find homes in

the flood plains. Others don't have the money to fight king coal and have their homes destroyed by mud slides from neighboring strip mines.

[malaise]

10. Sad isn't it

the way poor people suffer across this planet.

[alfredo]

12. I lived in Africa and saw it at its worst.

[malaise]

11. The rain will be a bigger problem

Stay safe Canucks.

[alfredo]

17. If you live on the east coast of the US, keep your eyes open and be

ready to deal with this storm.

[uppityperson]

5. I've been offline for a bit, checking in and wanted to send good vibes to you malaise

and all in the areas.

[malaise]

7. Thanks -we're fine n/t

[KittyWampus]

15. I'm so sorry. Don't watch news and DU hasn't reported this. Are you okay? Your family?

[malaise]

21. We're fine -safe as they come with no chance of mudslides

The temperature is gorgeous, but we're truly sick of rain and grey skies and since it's all heading NNE now, we'll have rain for a few more days.

I'm really worried for the poor people in the hills. Their shacks won't survive much more of this.

[Cha]

8. Be Safe, People,, in the path

of these hurricanes! I clicked on cause I didn't know where "Noel" was headed and surprised to learn..Nova Scotia! They don't usually have hurricanes or do they?

[Spazito]

14. It isn't common but it does happen...

Hurricane Juan hit Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2003, causing significant damage:

http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012517

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2003/11/17/ns_juanweek20031117.html

[madinmaryland]

13. Well, I guess since most stores have their Christmas stuff out,

I guess that it is appropriate to be have a hurricane name Noel!

[alfredo]

16. I just noticed it has moved westward. That's a bad sign.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=851&tstamp=200711

[malaise]

19. Yep but it's moving NNE now

that Westerly turn means it will scrape the Outer banks of NC and may well give Cape Cod a scare. Looks quite organized but still 65mph.

[alfredo]

23. The cape is in the cone. Greenland could see a Hurricane next week.

[malaise]

24. LOL

How did we miss this disaster in Mexico
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/172507.stm

More than 400 people are now reported dead following a week of floods in the south of Mexico.

BBC's Lynne Matthews: Government is struggling to cope despite it's biggest ever relief operation
The government has called it the worst disaster to face the country since an earthquake killed 10,000 in 1985.

And rescuers say they are concerned about the spread of disease, because more than 500,000 residents are without adequate drinking water, medicines and electricity.

The floods have receded leaving a sea of mud
Several hundred others are said to be missing following the torrential rains, floods and mudslides which swept through the region.

About 30,000 are homeless in the country's worst floods for more than four decades.

[alfredo]

29. That's because it was in Chiapas. the MSM doesn't want us to know

of their struggles.

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. They are calling for high wind watched for Maine on Saturday

[malaise]

20. Yep

The latest 12Z model runs have zeroed in on western or central Nova Scotia as the next target for Noel, which will be a powerful extratropical storm with sustained winds of 60-80 mph on Saturday. The GFDL and and HWRF intensity models show sustained winds of 75 mph impacting Cape Cod and Nantucket Island Saturday afternoon. Tropical storm force winds would affect the coast along eastern Long Island, Rhode Island, the rest of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. The GFS and UKMET models take Noel farther east, and bring much lower winds in the 25-40 mph range to Cape Cod and Nantucket Island. The GFS and UKMET models are better designed to forecast extratropical systems, so more weight should be given to these models. Still, residents of the Massachusetts coast should be aware of the possibility of damaging winds on Saturday.

[GreenPartyVoter]

22. Yep, we'll batten down the hatches on the trailer, just in case. Hope you are doing

as well as can be managed down there. :hug:

[malaise]

25. This too will pass

and then the hills will be green and beautiful. :hug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

26. Our hills are getting to be rusty brown, but I know what ya mean. :^D

[malaise]

27. Ours are bottle green with lots of lime green mingling with

that once blue skyline - at least they were the last time I saw them :D

[alfredo]

43. our hills are being covered with condos and McMansions. The rest

are being strip mined or completely decapitated.

[malaise]

28. Now hurricane Noel

He's sure picked up speed. Moving at 17mph now.

[alfredo]

30. It's now hitting 75 mph

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/

[GoddessOfGuinness]

31. I'm concerned that it will take a more westerly track...

They weren't predicting hurricane force winds until Saturday.

Hopefully, having said that, he'll follow the predicted path and leave us alone.

[alfredo]

32. I was hoping for a nice rainstorm that tracks across Georgia and

Tennessee.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

37. Good soakers are welcome...

High winds are not. If we have one more good 3 day soaker, we could be done with our drought. That'd be great!

[alfredo]

38. I just read about a town that has gone to three hours of water a day.

It's in central Tennessee.


The long range forecast doesn't look that good, but you can never tell. The western Caribbean is still warm enough to spawn more storms. Hopefully a good soaker could come in from the gulf.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

39. I hope so...

I don't like to think of the east coast as a desert. :(

[alfredo]

41. We may not have a choice.

[NC_Nurse]

33. We need it to come through NC and I know Georgia

could use rain too. Darn.

[JanMichael]

35. omg

how funny are our two posts!

Never thought I would see the day that I would be looking at a hurricane and think, "please come here!"

[NC_Nurse]

36. Really!

Pretty weird.
There's a lot of places about to RUN OUT of water in the Southeast. Damn.

[JanMichael]

34. I wish that sucker would come on into NC

Yes, I know. But the south needs the rain. A good tropical storm or low level hurricane would help at this point.

[WinkyDink]

40. I was in NS the last big one; went to Halifax the next day, and saw huge trees downed in the

(closed) streets and overturned boats, and no electricity in the entire city.
Brilliantly sunny day, then, though.

[alfredo]

42. Looks like it is going to hit the far west of NS

[malaise]

44. Bad news: Noel the hurricane becomes Noel the 'Noreaster

<snip>
Noel will brush Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, today, bringing winds near tropical storm force and a few rain bands. Strong northerly winds are expected to cause coastal flooding inside Pamlico Sound, with water levels 4-6 feet above normal. Winds at the Diamond Shoals buoy off the coast of Cape Hatteras were sustained at 40 mph, gusting to 47 mph, at 10am EDT. Seas were 15 feet, and 10-12 foot breakers are expected along the Outer Banks today. Noel has expanded significantly in size over the past 24 hours, and is bringing tropical storm force winds over a huge area of ocean (Figure 1). As Noel approaches New England on Saturday, the hurricane will make the transition to a powerful 'Noreaster, as cold air spills into the storm from the northwest. Noel's wind field is expected to expand farther, and the storm will maintain its intensity. Sustained winds of tropical storm force (39 mph) are likely along eastern Long Island and the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Nova Scotia.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=852&tstamp=200711

[Virginia Dare]

45. Halloween was the anniversary of the "Perfect Storm"..

this is looking like a very bad one.

[malaise]

46. Noel may turn out to be one of the most destructive

Caribbean Sea/Atlantic storms in living memory.



Everything South West of Jamaica is moving NNE so Jamaica and Eastern Cuba will continue to be under water. Guantanamo Bay must be a mess by now.

[Virginia Dare]

47. It's terrible..

the damage and loss of life is astounding..:wow:

I wish you luck in your recovery.

[malaise]

48. We're fine - our only inconvenience other than gridlock

was one flat tyre - hubby picked up a nail. Today a three year old was washed away crossing a road, landslides are everywhere and the supermarket is running out of home grown produce. Word is this will all be over by Monday.

[alfredo]

49. I've been watching the Avalon Pier. The lights are on because

it is so dark there. The wind sock is straight out.

Mass is expecting 80 mph winds.