Tropical Storm Olga (2007)
| Tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Tropical Storm Olga just north of Jamaica on December 12
|
|
| Formed | December 11, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | December 17, 2007 |
| (Remnant low after December 13) | |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 60 mph (95 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 1003 mbar (hPa); 29.62 inHg |
| Fatalities | 40 direct |
| Damage | $45 million (2007 USD) |
| Areas affected | Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Yucatan Peninsula, central Florida |
| Part of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Olga was the fifteenth named storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season. In the second week of December, after the official end of the hurricane season, a low developed east of the northernmost Lesser Antilles. It slowly acquired tropical characteristics, and late on December 10, the NHC declared it Subtropical Storm Olga while just north of Puerto Rico. It was the first post-season storm since Tropical Storm Zeta in the 2005 season, making the 2007 season one of the few with activity both before and after the official bounds of the hurricane season. Olga was only one of a few out of season tropical cyclones to make landfall. The storm made landfall on December 11 on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic. Later that evening, Olga transitioned into a tropical storm just after making landfall. Olga tracked over Hispaniola and emerged in the Caribbean Sea. Strong wind shear and dry air caused Olga to weaken into a remnant low early on December 13.
The storm impacted many areas affected by Tropical Storm Noel a month earlier. In Puerto Rico, moderate rainfall caused one death. 37 fatalities were confirmed in the Dominican Republic, including twenty deaths due to the release of floodgates at a dam in Santiago Province. Two deaths were also reported in Haiti. Olga killed a total of 40 people throughout its existence.
In the first week of December, a westward-moving upper-level low led to the formation of a broad surface trough well to the east of the northern Lesser Antilles. With a strong ridge to its northeast, the trough tracked slowly westward, producing scattered convection and some cyclonic turning. On December 8 convection began to persist in association with the trough and an upper-level low. Early on December 9, officials at the Tropical Prediction Center began classifying the system using the Hebert-Poteat technique, and several tropical cyclone forecast models anticipated its development of tropical characteristics. The system, which consisted of a sharp trough with an area of gale force winds to its north, continued westward through an area of moderately warm sea surface temperatures. On December 10 a low-level circulation developed within the system, though its convection had become disorganized and well-removed from the center. Southerly wind shear left the structure asymmetric, and convection steadily increased closer to the center. With an upper-level low situated just south of the center, the National Hurricane Center classified it as Subtropical Storm Olga at 0300 UTC on December 11 while located about 55 miles (85 km) east of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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