17514: (Chamberlain) Storm approaching Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   MIAMI (AP) -- Tropical Storm Odette continued to strengthen in the
Caribbean on Friday as it headed toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti,
with landfall and heavy rain expected there early Saturday, forecasters
said.
   Odette was the first recorded tropical storm to form in the Caribbean in
December, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
   The storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, an increase of 10 mph
over the previous night. It was expected to continue strengthening Friday
but was unlikely to reach hurricane strength winds of at least 73 mph, said
Stacy Stewart, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center.
   Odette was centered about 290 miles southwest of Isla Beata, Dominican
Republic, and was moving east-northeast at 5 mph. The storm's center was
expected to hit the southern coast of Haiti or the western part of the
Dominican Republic before dawn Saturday. The nations share the island of
Hispaniola. The storm is not expected to hit the United States.
   Forecasters said the storm could drop up to a foot of rain, with a risk
of life-threatening flash floods and mud slides, particularly if Odette
hits Haiti's mountains.
   Tropical-storm watches were in effect for the southeastern Bahamas and
the Turk and Caicos Islands. Watches are issued when tropical storm
conditions are possible within 36 hours.
   The 2003 Atlantic hurricane season ended Nov. 30 with 14 named storms
blamed for 62 deaths. Hurricane Isabel, which was blamed for 40 deaths, was
the season's deadliest and most damaging storm.
   A storm team at Colorado State University led by William Gray on Friday
predicted a busier-than-usual Atlantic hurricane season next year, with 13
named storms, including seven hurricanes, three of them major.
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   On the Net:
   National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov