Tropical Storm Olga developed on the evening of December 10 from a low pressure system located near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The storm originally formed as a sub-tropical cyclone, as the cold-core, upper-level low pressure circulation intensified and a broad surface circulation became well-defined. Observations from a nearby NOAA buoy provided an initial intensity of approximately 65 km/hr (35 knots or 40 mph) on evening of the 10th. Sub-Tropical Storm Olga moved westward along the northern coast of Puerto Rico, generating heavy rainfall in the mountainous interior of the island on the 11th. Olga began to lose its sub-tropical characteristics during the morning of December 11, eventually developing a warm core and transitioning to a tropical cyclone by the evening of the 11th. Tropical Storm Olga reached its peak intensity of 93 km/hr (50 knots or 58 mph) immediately before it made landfall along the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic during the evening of December 11. The storm lost some of its organization and weakened as it slowly moved westward across the island of Hispaniola, but generated torrential rain and flooding as it interacted with the high terrain of the island. On December 12, Olga weakened considerably, and was categorized as a Tropical Depression during the afternoon. The system eventually dissipated early on the 13th. At least two dozen people lost their lives to Olga in the Caribbean. According to local officials, flash floods associated with Olga killed at least 19 people in the Dominican Republic, where 35,000 people were forced to flee their homes. The strongest winds associated with Tropical Storm Olga were 93 km/hr (50 knots or 58 mph), and its lowest pressure was 1004 mb. More information on Tropical Storm Olga is available from the NOAA National Hurricane Center.

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The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season brought fewer hurricanes than was originally expected and the total number of named storms was below the recent average, yet above the 1950-2000 average. There were 15 named storms in 2007; 6 of these became hurricanes and 2 became major hurricanes. Three tropical storms (Barry, Erin and Gabrielle) and one hurricane (Humberto) made landfall with the mainland U.S. this year, making it a relatively quiet season for this country. Unfortunately, Central America was hit very hard by two back-to-back Category 5 storms (Dean and Felix) in August and September, respectively.

The season began early in 2007 with the development of Subtropical Storm Andrea off the southeastern coast of the United States on May 9, becoming the first named storm in May since 1981. Andrea quickly weakened to a depression the next day without making landfall. June brought Tropical Storm Barry in the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico; Barry made landfall in Pinellas County, Florida with maximum sustained winds of 51 mph (45 knots or 83 km/hr). Only one tropical storm, Chantal, formed in the Atlantic basin in July and did not make landfall. Three tropical storms formed in August: Dean, Erin, and Felix. Dean later developed into a powerful hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (144 knots or 265 km/hr) that made landfall near Costa Maya, Mexico and is blamed for over forty deaths in that region.

Seven tropical storms formed in the Atlantic basin in September, the busiest month of 2007. Hurricane Felix, which formed on August 30, grew into a Category 5 storm and made landfall near the Nicaragua-Honduras border. News reports indicate that Felix was responsible for over 130 deaths and many more injuries in these countries. The maximum sustained winds of Hurricane Felix at the time of landfall were estimated to be 160 mph (140 knots or 260 km/hr). Tropical storm Gabrielle made landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina on September 9 and weakened to a depression the next day. Hurricane Humberto was the only hurricane to strike the mainland U.S. in 2007, rapidly intensifying to hurricane status in the early morning hours of September 13. One death is blamed on this storm. At the end of September, Hurricane Lorenzo made landfall near Veracruz, Mexico as a Category 1 storm, resulting in six fatalities.

In October, Category 1 Hurricane Noel brought heavy rains and major flooding to parts of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and Cuba, causing numerous fatalities. News reports estimate that at least 147 people died as a result of this storm, making it the deadliest storm of the season in the Atlantic basin. Noel later transitioned to an extratropical low and hit the area between eastern Long Island to New England in the U.S., causing considerable tree and power line damage before passing into the Maritimes.

No tropical cyclones formed in the Atlantic basin in November, although one tropical cyclone developed in December after the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season. In mid-December, Sub-Tropical Storm Olga developed in the Caribbean, and eventually gained tropical characteristics. According to press reports, excessive rains from Tropical Storm Olga over the interior mountains of the islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola generated flash floods killing at least two dozen people.

For additional information on these and all of the 2007 season storms in the Atlantic basin, please see the summaries below.Please note that convention reports tropical storm winds in knots (kt) and pressures in millibars (mb).