SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Olga strengthened and became a tropical storm Tuesday as it drenched the Dominican Republic, forcing the evacuation of low-lying communities ahead of the rare December cyclone.
The storm had a maximum sustained wind of 60 mph Tuesday evening, and forecasters warned it could trigger dangerous floods by dumping as much as 10 inches of rain in some parts of the Dominican Republic and neighboring Haiti.
Olga struck nearly two weeks after the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is only the 10th named storm to develop in the month of December since record-keeping began in 1851, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The storm was threatening Dominican areas that were hardest hit by Tropical Storm Noel six weeks ago. At least 87 fatalities in the country were blamed on Noel, the deadliest storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season. Authorities evacuated 22 communities in eastern provinces to prepare for the storm.
In neighboring Haiti, the government warned people in coastal areas to prepare for evacuations and urged fishermen to remain in port.
