Hurricane Noel grew in size early Friday as it moved away from the Bahamas and into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving 118 people reportedly dead across the Caribbean. In its 11 a.m. ET advisory, the National Hurricane Center said Noel's maximum sustained winds were near 80 mph (130 kph), with its center about 575 miles (925 kilometers) west-southwest of Bermuda and about 425 miles (685 kilometers) south-southeast of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras.
The Category 1 hurricane was moving north-northeast at 17 mph (28 kph).
Noel's rainfall swamped the Bahamas and Cuba on Thursday, forcing about 24,000 evacuations from low-lying areas of Cuba and dumping 15 inches of rain on the Bahamas, The Associated Press reported.
Portions of the U.S. East Coast were in for heavy rainfall, though much less than the deluge in the Bahamas, forecasters said. (CNN)
Hurricane Noel grew in size early Friday as it moved away from the 