Friday marks the end of an above-normal 2012 Atlantic hurricane season that produced 19 named storms including Hurricane Sandy which wreaked havoc in the Northeast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

The 19 named storms were well above the average of 12, and the 10 hurricanes were above the average of six. The season's lone major hurricane, Michael, a Category 3 hurricane that stayed over the open Atlantic, was below the average of three.

Following Irene in 2011, 2012 marked the second straight year the mid-Atlantic and Northeast suffered devastating impacts from a named storm.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Sandy left millions without power and killed at least 125 people in the U.S. and 71 in the Caribbean as it brought coastal storm surge, heavy rainfall, inland flooding, and wind.

In Florida, residents had to deal with tropical storms Beryl, which made landfall near Jacksonville Beach, and Debby which made landfall near Steinhatchee on the northwest coast of Florida. Hurricane Isaac narrowly missed Florida, making landfall in Louisiana.

"This year proved that it’s wrong to think that only major hurricanes can ruin lives and impact local economies," Laura Furgione, acting director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, said in a statement. "We are hopeful that after the 2012 hurricane season, more families and businesses all along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts become more 'weather ready' by understanding the risks associated with living near the coastline. Each storm carries a unique set of threats that can be deadly and destructive. Mother Nature reminded us again this year of how important it is to be prepared and vigilant."

Despite the above-normal classification, there have been 10 busier years in the last three decades, NOAA said. And 2012 was the seventh consecutive year that no major hurricanes have hit the United States.

NOAA will release its pre-season outlook for the 2013 hurricane season in May.

The Archdiocese of Miami is sending a plane filled with supplies from Miami to Cuba Monday to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.

The first plane, which is carrying 9,000 pounds of food supplies to Santiago, left Miami International Airport Monday morning. The supplies include powdered cans of Parmalat milk, rice, beans and Vienna sausage.

"It represents our first efforts of solidarity with the church in Cuba," Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said at a news conference Monday.

Miami Parishes Holding Collections for Sandy Relief

When the plane lands, it will be greeted by members of Caritas Cuba and the Daughters of Charity in Cuba who will oversee the transportation and distribution of the food to the needy areas.

"The food is destined to Caritas in Santiago and will be received by the director of Caritas and the Archbishop of Santiago," Wenski said.

Sandy hit southeastern Cuba on Oct. 25 as a Category 2 hurricane. It killed 11 people, damaged more than 200,000 homes and caused major losses to coffee and other crops.

Archbishop Wenski to Bless Offices of Travel Agency

Wenski said he hopes more planes and possibly a ship filled with supplies will also be sent.

"I think that since it is being handled through the church, an independent actor inside the island, and through a non-govenmental agency, minimizes the chance the product beng sold in tourist stores as has happened in the past," said John Suarez, executive director of the group Directorio Democratico Cubano, which is made of Cuban-Americans interested in the issues of Cuba.

More Local News

Florida Power & Light’s Hurricane Sandy relief workers are coming home.

The utility company said its relief crews, totaling more than 1,000 people, packed up their gear and headed south on Monday.

FPL employees and contractors spent the past two weeks helping 11 utilities from Virginia to New Jersey to restore power after Sandy, which came ashore in southern New Jersey as a strong post-tropical cyclone on Monday, Oct. 29.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

The FPL employees have spent most of their time assisting utilities in New Jersey and helping to restore power to about 50,000 homes and businesses there, the company said in a statement Monday.

The returning crews are spending the night in Fayetteville, North Carolina before continuing across the Florida border on Tuesday. About 125 FPL workers will remain working in the Northeast, the company said.

PHOTOS: Coming Back From Sandy

A South Florida disaster medical assistance team was being sent to help the recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy in New York City and New Jersey.

The team consists of 42 doctors, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, and allied medical responders from the area. They are part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's team called the Florida-5 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, which is coordinating federally and was created by executive order by the president in 1984.

"We are going to take the burden off of some of the emergency responders that have been out there since day one," said Peter DeJesse, a retired Broward Sheriff' Office battalion chief. "That's the reason for the mission. The mission is to take some of the weight off some of the workers, allow them to go home, take care of their own families."

PHOTOS: Coming Back From Sandy

The Florida team was created in 1994 after Hurricane Andrew and is made up of members from hospitals and Fire Rescue departments from Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe.

It will respond to New York City and the team members will serve up to two weeks in a medical capacity.

The team personnel come from law enforcement including Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, Coral Springs Fire Rescue, Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue among others. And the medical personnel include employees from Broward Health, Memorial Healthcare System, Boca Raton Regional Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center and Palms West Hospital.

"The services we provide to the citizens whle we're there are free, and they're usually grateful that we've put ourselves into their disasters to be of service," said Debra Hause-DeJesse, a registered nurse at Memorial Health System.

There are also some private doctors participating.

Hurricane Season Coverage

"This is a first time for a cold weather deployment. Most of them have all been in warm weather," said Andy Popick from Davie Fire Rescue.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski has asked the 105 parishes of the Archdiocese of Miami to hold a special collection to raise funds to help people affected by Hurricane Sandy, the Archdiocese said Friday.

The money will go to help churches in the Northeast U.S. and in the Caribbean and to help their people as recovery from the storm begins.

Some churches will hold the special collection this weekend, and others next weekend, on Nov. 10-11, the Archdiocese said in a statement Friday.

Meantime, Keys Energy Services (KEYS) says it’s sending seven linemen to Long Island in New York to help restore power there. The linemen, three bucket trucks, one digger truck and a utility pole trailer left for New York at daybreak on Friday.

The crew expects to spend at least two weeks in the region as they assist the Long Island Power Authority in restoring power, according to KEYS.

Struggle to Resume Daily Life in Sandy's Wake

The utility said the linemen left for Delaware to help restore power there on Tuesday, but received word en route that their assistance was no longer needed because of minimal damage and power outages.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami continues to accept Sandy-related donations at www.ccadm.org.

Hurricane Season Coverage

Hundreds of workers and trucks from Florida Power and Light are heading north to assist in restoring power to areas expected to be impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

FPL is deploying 865 employees and contractor restoration workers and about 250 trucks to seven different utilities from Virginia to New Jersey to help in the efforts, company officials said Monday.

The workers began leaving Monday and will stop in South Carolina Monday night before they're dispatched Tuesday to provide restoration assistance.

Keys Energy Services was also sending seven linemen to Delaware to assist in power restoration. They will leave on Tuesday.

WATCH: Hurricane Sandy Coverage

Sandy came ashore in southern New Jersey as a strong post-tropical cyclone Monday night, and is bringing heavy rain and wind gusts to a large portion of the northeast coast of the U.S.

Hurricane Sandy Effects Still Felt in South Florida

FPL officials said they're staggering their crews to make sure they're prepared for any outages that might happen in their service territory, but they're also prepared to send additional help if needed.

"We are happy to help other utilities because when FPL's customers are impacted by a hurricane, tropical storm or other natural disaster, other utilities often provide assistance to us," the company said in a statement.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy made landfall along the southern New Jersey coast Monday night, but its effects continue to be felt in South Florida.

"It's allowing the drier and cooler weather north of us to pulled from the north into South Florida," National Weather Service meteorologist Barry Baxter said earlier in the day of the storm, which was then a hurrricane.

Baxter added a side effect of Sandy was cooler than average temperatures.

"It's going to get into the lower to mid-50s tomorrow morning," he said, adding that the record is 46 degrees in 1938.  "Tonight is going to be the coldest night and then we will have a gradual warm-up the rest of the week."

A total of 54 arrivals and 63 departures at Miami International Airport were cancelled. All of the flights were for cities in the northeast including New York, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark and Washington, D.C.

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 152 flights had been cancelled. A total of 69 were arrivals and 83 were departures. At 3 p.m., 35 commercial airplanes were waiting out the storm in the county.  The impacted cities include: Albany, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Boston, Freeport, Bahamas, Hartford, Islip, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, Providence, Washington, D.C., and White Plains.

"What we're finding is that a lot of them are connecting flights. So, they made sure that when they left wherever they left, they were going to get a connection to the Northeast, but then God stepped in and said 'You're not going anywhere," said travel agent Rina Vega. "So now they're stranded here in Miami with no reservations, no hotels, no food. Some of them have no money.'

Honeymooners Courtney and Kyle Knichel, from Washington, D.C., said they will fly to Raleigh and then attempt to drive home.

"We were on our honeymoon in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Sandy was there, I think Tuesday and Wednesday last week. So, we've already seen Sandy," Courtney Knichel said. "And now we're stranded here in the airport, all flights to D.C. are cancelled."

But Sandy hasn't just ruined plans in the air, the storm stopped travel on some roads too.

East Coast Grinds to a Halt for Sandy

Sandy's windy weather forced road closures in Fort Lauderdale. A1A between Sunrise Boulevard and Northeast 20th Street was impassable. Crews attempted to remove that flooding late into the night.

According to the Red Cross, residents of about 60 homes in Fort Lauderdale were locked in due to street flooding and beach erosion from Sandy. The American Red Cross South Florida Region was providing sandwiches, snacks and water to the residents Sunday.

Anticipating more flooding overnight, the City of Fort Lauderdale decided to restrict access to East Las Olas Boulevard at Coral Way too.

Officials warned the effects of rising waters are expected to be seen between 6:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Monday with the peak of high tide at 8:55 a.m.

The windy weather didn't stop spectators from coming out to watch an eerily beautiful scene during high tide Sunday. As the wind howled, the water inched closer to the sea wall.

"It's very unusual because of the waves, but it's really beautiful," said Cassidy Ritchie, admiring the water.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to Join FEMA for Sandy

Drivers had a tough time of it on South Beach, too. With a Coastal Flood Advisory issued for both Miami-Dade and Broward counties, until Monday morning, the city of Miami Beach warned residents to give themselves plenty of time for their commutes.

"We're supposed to go to Philadelphia," said Kristina Menudo who had just been told her flight was canceled. She is stranded in Miami with her sister and daughter for the next few days.

"I have to call work. I have to let them that I won't be in Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday because I was expecting to come home," said Tiffany Menudo.

As of 11 p.m. Monday, Sandy had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph as it moved northwest at 18 mph about 10 miles southwest of Philadelphia, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane-force wind gusts were possible along parts of the East Coast between Chincoteague, Virginia and Chatham, Massachusetts over the next few hours, the National Hurricane Center said in its last public advisory on the storm.

Tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 485 miles from the center of the storm.

Sandy was expected to head to the west-northwest or northwest through Tuesday before it turned toward the north and northeast Tuesday night.

Travelers heading to the Northeast should check with their airline to find out if their flights are affected.

Sandy Cuts Into Campaigning in Last Week of Presidential Race

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

The sounds and movements of Hurricane Sandy were in Broward County Thursday night. Proof of that was in the air, water, and on the ground.

The Category 2 hurricane even knocked out power to parts of Fort Lauderdale Beach, where Sandy's wrath wasn't the only thing visiting.

"We're kind of blown away," Celeste Arms joked. "But the boats are awesome," said her husband, Steve.

Thousands of tourists are in town for the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The timing's not great, but visitors didn't let it get them down.

"It's windy, but it's not unbearable," said Celeste Arms, who is visiting from Texas. "It'll be okay."

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

"It's fine so far," Kevin Massey from Connecticut said. "It's not as bad as I thought it could've been."

Their vacation plans may have changed a little bit, but some are calling all this wind and rain just another story to tell.

"This is something that I've never experienced before and as long as everybody is safe, I think this is a hoot," Jo Reedy, who lives in Orlando, said.

Complete Weather Coverage

The center of Hurricane Sandy may be far out in the Atlantic Ocean, but the Miami Rescue Mission is preparing to make sure no one is left out in the rain in South Florida.

”Hurricane Sandy will bring danger to some of our homeless that are out in the streets and we just want to be able to be open,” said the Miami Rescue Mission’s director, Antonio Villasuso.

The rescue mission is preparing like any other emergency weather system. The organization already houses up to 300 people that live in its buildings, and is ready to take on up to 50 more.

“We’re cooking more meals, we’re getting more blankets, we’re getting more clothes together so that we can reach out to the people of Miami,” Villasuso said.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

The Miami Rescue Mission, along with outreach centers in Hollywood and Pompano Beach, offers not just shelter for the homeless, but an opportunity to better their lives.

“It was definitely life-changing for me. Like I said, at first it’s difficult because you are used to being outside in the open area, and when you come here they structure you to become successful,” resident Johanz Tovar said.

Once people are in the shelter, the Rescue Mission tries to help them make a decision to join one of its programs – and stay off the streets.

“So we just don’t want to bring them in as a human body and just sit them and move them through the motions,” Villasuso said. “We want to try to engage them to come in and to be able to make a decision to try to change for the better.”

Interactive Radar

As Hurricane Sandy churns through the Atlantic, South Florida is feeling its impact through high winds, some power outages and event cancelations.

The Miami-Dade County Emergency Operations Center is at a level 3 monitoring status. Residents can find more information here.

Broward Emergency Management said it continues to monitor the situation, and while no protective measures are being taken at the moment, “residents are encouraged to use good judgment in preparing their homes and businesses for potential impacts of tropical storm force winds.” Get more information here.

Here’s a glance at what’s closed because of Hurricane Sandy:

Miami-Dade County

• Public schools will not hold classes on Friday for teacher planning day.
• Public schools canceled outdoor activities, practices, all athletic events and adult education classes for Thursday.
• Temple Beth Am Day School's campus in Pinecrest will be closed on Friday due to storm conditions.
• All Belen Jesuit Preparatory School activities, including parent-teacher conferences, have been canceled on Thursday. The school will also be closed Friday, and the homecoming game versus Mater Academy has been canceled. The homecoming dance on Friday night has not been canceled.
• The Biltmore School will be closed on Friday.
• All Archdiocese of Miami schools have canceled after-school activities on Thursday, and schools will be closed Friday.
• Two HEAT Week events have been canceled – the HEAT Happy Hour at Duffy’s Sports Grill on Thursday from 6-8 p.m., and the HEAT Metrorail Ride-along on Friday from 7-9 a.m.
• Miami International Airport says it has canceled 23 arrival flights and 21 departure flights.
• Miami Seaquarium has postponed its Monster Splash Daytime Splash & Nighttime Bash, which was scheduled to begin Friday. It will open Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday from noon-10 p.m.
• The high school football game between the Miami Central Rockets and the Miami Northwestern Bulls that was scheduled for Friday has been moved to Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Sun Life Stadium.
 

Broward County

• Public schools will not hold classes on Friday for teacher planning day.
• Public schools have canceled all outdoor activities for Thursday and Friday.
• Public schools have canceled all school-based evening activities (after 6 p.m.), including adult education classes, on Thursday.
• Public schools have canceled drivers education classes on Saturday.
• All Archdiocese of Miami schools have canceled after-school activities on Thursday, and schools will be closed Friday.
• The Lauderhill Police Department's Halloween Safety Day event has been postponed from Friday until Tuesday due to the weather conditions. It will be held Tuesday from 4-8:30 p.m. at the Sadkin Community Center at 1176 NW 42nd Way.
• Weston has canceled its Halloween Safety Expo that was scheduled for Friday night at Tequesta Trace Park. Officials expect to reschedule the event in the near future.

Monroe County

• Public schools will be closed Friday.

The Miami-Dade Office of Emergency Management advises all residents and business owners to review their hurricane plans. Here are their tips:

• Make sure your emergency equipment, including hurricane shutters and battery-powered radios, are in good working order.
• Check that you have enough emergency supplies.
• Get and store materials necessary to properly secure your home.
• Secure yard and construction debris so they don't pose a hazard in high winds.
• Take any tree trimmings to a local trash and recycling center

Residents can call 311 or 305-468-5900 outside of Miami-Dade for more disaster-related information, or visit www.miamidade.gov/oem.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Clean-up crews were out dark and early to scoop up load after load of sand that was blowing onto streets and sidewalks from Fort Lauderdale Beach due to winds from Hurricane Sandy.

Hours before daylight, as gusts whipped up to 30 mph at times, crews went to work shoveling sand from the sidewalk and A1A.

"It's been very windy and rainy but the worst is yet to come," foreman David Smith said.

Tropical Storm Warning Still in Effect for Parts of South Florida

Smith said his crews usually wait until a storm blows over to clean up, but with the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show drawing hundreds of thousands of people beginning Thursday, they wanted to get a jump on it.

"As we throw it over, it blows back, but we're just trying to make a good effort down here," Smith said.

Interactive Radar

Besides the clean-up crews, few people were out near the beach. Jogger Alex Hillegaas, who's visiting from Illinois, isn't used to the tropical storm type weather but ran his six miles as planned.

"Yeah, it's not that bad," he said. "What I kinda do is I zone out and I just run so I don't really feel it...I don't really care, I had to go for my run."

In addition to the sand, workers were also being careful to preserve the 10 or so remaining sea turtle nests along the shoreline.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

A tropical storm warning was issued for part of Florida's east coast Wednesday as Hurricane Sandy strengthened on its approach to Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

By 11 p.m. Sandy was just hours away from making landfall in southeastern Cuba. It had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph as it moved north at 13 mph about 85 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba and about 100 miles north-northeast of Kingston, Jamaica, the National Hurricane Center said.

Tropical storm conditions are expected along Florida's east coast Thursday night and Friday, forecasters said.

The hurricane made landfall in southeastern Jamaica around 3 p.m., the National Hurricane Center said.

At 5 p.m., a tropical storm warning was issued for the east coast of Florida from Ocean Reef to Sebasian Inlet and a tropical storm watch was extended along the east coast to Flagler Beach.

Winds in South Florida were expected to start picking up by Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service said. The storm was expected to move north across eastern Cuba on Wednesday night and into the Bahamas Thursday and Friday.

NBC 6 Interactive Radar

"Winds will be increasing across southeast Florida the next couple days," said Kim Brabander, a meterologist with the weather service. "Thursday night and Friday, Sandy will be closest to South Florida on the east side."

Brabander said the storm will most probably be a wind event on the low side of the tropical storm force winds, which range from 39 to 65 miles per hour.

"We will have some outer rain bands come across from time to time," he said.

The weather service was calling for 50 percent chance of showers on Thursday and Friday.

Miami-Dade County officials asked people to monitor the storm and advised people to avoid beaches with rip currents, swim only at beaches with lifeguards on duty, watch for flying debris, watch for objects blowing across the roads, drive slow, among other things. Broward County officials said potential impacts included downed power lines and outages and dangerous driving conditions.

“We must always be prepared for a storm, even this late in the season,” said Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners Chairman Joe A. Martinez in an email statement.

At Miami International Airport, nine flights were canceled and six flights were delayed from the Caribbean because of the storm.

Colin Francis arrived at MIA after being on the last Bahamas Air flight out of Nassau Wednesday night.

“If it’s just light wind and rain then it's not too much to be concerned about, but we don't know what it is going to build up to, so people are on the alert and we are concerned about that," he said.

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport three flights were canceled to and from Kingston, Jamaica.

Brabander said residents should check the forecast track for any changes. The storm was expected to accelerate to the north or northeast on Friday night into Saturday morning, so South Florida should become much drier, he said.

Further north, officials on Hutchinson Island, near Port St. Lucie, were shoring up their beaches, trying to minimize potential damage.

NBC 6 Forecasts

Meanwhile, the hurricane center said it was too early to tell where exactly it will go after South Florida.

"It will most probably not be a tropical system if it makes it to the northeast," said Dennis Feltgen, hurricane center spokesman.

But Key West officials weren't going to let the storm dampen their costuming and masking festival called Fantasy Fest. They said Wednesday that the event, which runs until Oct. 28, will continue.

The hurricane center warned Sandy could dump as much as 12 inches of rain on Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and parts of Cuba — and up to 20 inches in some areas — and could trigger "life-threatening flash floods and mudslides" as well as storm surge.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Sandy was expected to keep heading north with increasing speed Wednesday night and Thursday. It will emerge from Cuba's north coast Thursday and move near or over the central Bahamas late Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Weakening is forecast as the storm crosses Cruba, but it is expected to remain a hurricane as it moves through the Bahamas.

NBC 6 Severe Weather Alerts

A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica, the Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Las Tunas, Granma, Santiago De Cuba, Holguin and Guantanamo, the central and northwestern Bahamas, and the Ragged Islands in the southeastern Bahamas.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for the rest of the southeastern Bahamas and Haiti.

Meanwhile, further out over the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Tony started losing its tropical characteristics at 5 p.m.

By 11 p.m. , it had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as it moved east-northeast at 23 mph about 935 miles west-southwest of the Azores.

Complete Weather Coverage

Florida's emergency officials warned that Tropical Storm Sandy could bring rip currents to the state’s east coast this week and into the weekend.

As of 11 p.m., the storm had strengthened and had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph as it moved north-northeast at 10 mph about 195 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica.

Meantime, Tropical Storm Tony formed Tuesday night. As of 11 p.m., it had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as it moved northeast at 12 mph about 1,505 miles west-southwest of the Azores, the National Hurricane Center said.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, and Tony was expected to turn to the east-northeast and increase its speed on Wednesday.

Besides Jamaica, a hurricane warning was in effect for Sandy for the Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Las Tunas, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin and Guantanamo.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Haiti and the central Bahamas, and a tropical storm watch was in effect for the southeastern and northwestern Bahamas.

Sandy is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by the time it nears Jamaica on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 105 miles from the center of Sandy.

While Florida is not expected to be directly impacted by the storm, South Florida and the Atlantic coast could face a higher risk of rip currents, and get 1-3 inches of rain and winds up to 35 mph, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

“All Floridians should remain aware of the storm and the possible indirect impacts for their area, and take appropriate precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe," the division's director, Bryan Koon, said in a statement.

Hurricane Season: Complete Coverage

The outer rainbands of Hurricane Rafael were approaching Bermuda Tuesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 11 a.m., Rafael had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph as it moved north-northeast at 24 mph about 255 miles south of Bermuda.

Interactive Radar

The center of Rafael is expected to pass east of Bermuda late Tuesday afternoon and evening bringing tropical storm force winds and 2 to 4 inches of rain.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Bermuda, though Rafael is expected to weaken during the next 48 hours. Rafael is also expected to continue to move away from the U.S. east coast.

Complete Weather Coverage

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Rafael became a hurricane in the Atlantic Monday and is expected to pass near Bermuda late Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

It is the ninth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic season.

As of 6:45 p.m., Rafael had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph as it moved north at 10 mph about 560 miles south of Bermuda, forecasters said.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for the island.

Rafael was expected to pass near or to the east of Bermuda late Tuesday or Tuesday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Full Weather Coverage

Tropical Storm Rafael formed over the eastern Caribbean Sea Friday as a tropical storm warning was issued for the British Virgin Islands and other locales, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

As of 11 p.m., Rafael had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as it moved northwest at 10 mph about 140 miles west of Dominica and about 185 miles south-southeast of St. Croix, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A tropical storm warning was also in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maartin, St. Martin, Guadeloupe, Desirade, Les Saintes, Marie Galante, Martinique and St. Lucia.

A tropical storm watch was in effect for Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques.

The storm was expected to turn north-northwest Saturday and move near or over the Virgin Islands Saturday night.

Meantime, what was Tropical Storm Patty weakened to a tropical depression.

As of 11 p.m., Patty had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was not moving about 265 miles east-northeast of the central Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center said.

NBC 6 Weather Forecasts

Tropical Storm Patty formed on Thursday afternoon but was expected to be short-lived, the National Hurricane Center said.

At 5 p.m., the center of storm had maximum sustained winds of near 40 miles per hour and was located about 255 miles northeast of the central Bahamas.

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.

It was expected to have little change in forecast overnight and was to weaken slightly on Friday.

Tropical storm conditions are expected over portions of the Azores Wednesday as Nadine continues moving over the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 5 p.m., Nadine had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as it remained stationary about 165 miles south-southwest of the Azores island of Flores.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Flores, Corvo, Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, Graciosa and Terceira.

Little change in strength is expected over the next 48 hours and Nadine is expected to move toward the east-southeast on Thursday.

Interactive Radar

Complete Weather Coverage

A tropical storm watch was in effect for parts of the Azores as Nadine continued moving over the Atlantic Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 11 p.m., Nadine had weakened since earlier in the day and had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as it moved north-northeast at 7 mph about 325 miles west-southwest of the Azores.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

A tropical storm watch was in effect for the islands of Flores, Corvo, Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, Graciosa and Terceira in the Azores, and tropical storm conditions are possible in those areas by late Wednesday.

Lttle change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours for Nadine, but its motion was expected to become slow and erratic by Wednesday night, the National Hurricane Center said.

Interactive Radar

Complete Weather Coverage

Tropical Storm Nadine continued to weaken as it moved toward the northeast over the Atlantic Monday night, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 11 p.m., Nadine had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph as it moved northeast at 9 mph about 490 miles west-southwest of the Azores.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Little change in strength is expected over the next 48 hours and Nadine is expected to turn toward the north-northeast on Tuesday.

The current track shows Nadine moving away from the U.S. East Coast, and there were no watches or warnings in effect.

Interactive Radar

Complete Weather Coverage

Nadine became the eighth hurricane of the 2012 hurricane season Friday as it continued heading north-northeast over the open Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 11 p.m., Nadine had maximum sustained winds near 75 mph as it moved north-northeast at 14 mph about 725 miles east of Bermuda and about 1,570 miles west-southwest of the Azores.

Interactive Radar

The storm remained no threat to land and there were no watches or warnings in effect.

Little change in strength was forecast over the next 48 hours. Hurricane Nadine was expected to turn toward the northeast and slow slightly by Saturday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.

Tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 230 miles from the center of Nadine.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Complete Weather Coverage

Tropical Storm Nadine remained just below hurricane strength as it moved over the Atlantic Thursday night, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 11 p.m., Nadine had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph as it moved north-northwest at 15 mph about 765 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Some strengthening is possible in the next day or two for Nadine, which could become a hurricane during that time, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm is expected to turn toward the north on Friday and was no threat to land. There were no watches or warnings in effect.

Interactive Radar

Complete Weather Coverage

Tropical Storm Nadine continued strengthening Wednesday and could become a hurricane sometime Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 11 p.m.., Nadine had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph as it moved northwest at 16 mph about 820 miles east-northeast of the Lesser Antilles.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Nadine remained far from land and there were no watches or warnings in effect. The current track shows Nadine heading northwest, then turning toward the north-northwest by Thursday night or Friday morning.

Meantime, Tropical Storm Kristy formed off the Mexican coast in the Pacific Ocean Wednesday.

As of 11 p.m., Kristy had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as it moved west-northwest at 9 mph about 200 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Interactive Radar

Complete Weather Coverage

Tropical Storm Nadine formed out over the Atlantic Tuesday, becoming the 14th named storm of the 2012 hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 11 p.m. Nadine had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as it moved west-northwest at 15 mph about 1080 miles east of the Lesser Antilles, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm emerged as a tropical depression earlier Tuesday before strengthening into a tropical storm.

Nadine is expected to strengthen over the next 48 hours and turn northwestward by Wednesday morning. It remained no threat to land and there were no watches or warnings in effect.

Meantime, Leslie became a post-tropical cyclone and Michael weakened into a post-tropical cyclone Tuesday.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Leslie, which began the day as a tropical storm, became a post-tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph as it moved north-northeast at 45 mph about 130 miles north-northwest of St. Johns, Newfoundland.

The center will move away from Atlantic Canada later Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said in its last advisory on Leslie.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Newfoundland from Indian Harbour to Triton.

Interactive Radar

Meanwhile, Michael had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as it moved north-northeast at 31 mph about 1025 miles west-northwest of the Azores at 5 p.m. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Michael was expected to continue weakening and become absorbed by a cold front on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said in its last advisory on the storm.

Complete Weather Coverage

Hurricane Michael continued weakening while Tropical Storm Leslie raced toward Newfoundland on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 5 p.m., Michael had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph as it moved northwest at 12 mph about 1175 miles west of the Azores.

Interactive Radar

Michael is expected to steadily weaken and could become a tropical storm by Monday night. The storm is also expected to turn northwestward, then north and then to the north-northeast and away from the U.S.

There were no watches or warnings in effect.

Meanwhile, Leslie was racing north-northeast at 35 mph with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph about 550 miles southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

A hurricane watch was in effect for Newfoundland from Stones Cove to Charlottetown, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Newfoundland from Indian Harbour to Triton.

Leslie is expected to speed up even more as the storm approaches eastern Newfoundland early Tuesday. The storm should turn into an extratropical or frontal cyclone in about the next 24 hours, the National Hurricane Center said.

Complete Weather Coverage

A Tropical Storm Watch was in effect for Bermuda Friday as Leslie weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm over the Atlantic, while Michael remained a Category 2 hurricane further east, according to the National Hurricane center in Miami.

As of 11 p.m., Leslie had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph as remained stationary about 360 miles south-southeast of Bermuda.

Interactive Radar

Leslie, which began Friday as a Category 1 hurricane, is expected to pick up speed later Friday or Saturday. Little change in strength is expected over the next 24 hours though the storm could regain hurricane status over the weekend.

Tropical Storm conditions are possible on Bermuda by early Sunday.

Complete Weather Coverage

Meanwhile, Michael had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph as it moved northwest at 6 mph about 940 miles west-southwest of the Azores.

Michael is expected to gradually weaken over the next 48 hours and remained no threat to land.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Hurricane Michael was a Category 2 storm of the year over the Atlantic as Hurricane Leslie remained almost stationary Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 11 p.m. Michael had maximum sustained winds near 105 mph as it moved northeast at  5 mph about 930 miles west-southwest of the Azores.

Interactive Radar

Michael is a small but powerful tropical cyclone, but remained no threat to land. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

The hurricane was expected to turn toward the north and northwest with some gradual weakening possible by Friday, according to the NHC.

Meanwhile, Leslie was nearly stationary with maximum sustained winds at 75 mph and with a track that puts it near Bermuda sometime Sunday.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Leslie was about 430 miles south-southeast of Bermuda. The hurricane is expected to gradually strengthen over the next 48 hours.

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Complete Weather Coverage

Tropical Storm Leslie continued moving slowly over the Atlantic as Michael remained a small tropical storm Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 11 p.m., Leslie had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph as it moved north at 2 mph about 445 miles south-southeast of Bermuda.

Interactive Radar

Leslie was getting better organized and is expected to gradually strengthen and could become a hurricane later Wednesday.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect and Leslie was no threat to land, though swells generated by the storm will continue to affect Bermuda, the U.S. east coast from central Florida northward, the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Meanwhile, Michael had maximum sustained winds near 75 mph as it moved northeast at 7 mph about 1060 miles west-southwest of the Azores.

Michael was expected to gradually strengthen over the next 48 hours but remained no threat to land.

Complete Weather Coverage

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Tropical Storm Leslie continued moving northward over the Atlantic while Tropical Storm Michael formed Tuesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 11 p.m., Leslie had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph as it moved north at 2 mph about 500 miles south-southeast of Bermuda.

Interactive Radar

Leslie was expected to continue moving north with little change in strength forecast over the next couple days.

The storm was no immediate threat to land and there were no watches or warnings in effect, though swells from Leslie could affect portions of the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for another day with swells affecting Bermuda and the U.S. east coast from central Florida northward for the next several days.

Hurricane Season: Special Coverage

Further out in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Michael formed and was stationary with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph.

The storm was about 1215 miles west-southwest of the Azores and there were no coastal watches or warnings in effect. Michael is expected to make a slow northward motion and little change in strength is expected over the next 48 hours.

Complete Weather Coverage

Tropical Storm Kirk is expected to become post-tropical later Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of 11 a.m., Kirk had maximum sustained winds at 50 mph and was moving northeast at 37 mph. Kirk was located 790 miles east of Cape Race, Newfoundland and 745 miles northwest of the Azores.

Hurricane Guide 2012

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Leslie was moving north of the Leeward Islands.

As of 5 a.m., Leslie had maximum sustained winds at 65 mph and was moving northwest at 15 mph. Leslie is located 295 miles north of the Leeward Islands.

No watches or warnings have been issued for either storm.

 More Weather Stories

Tropical Storm Leslie was becoming less organized as it moved west-northwest Saturday.

As of 5 p.m., Leslie had maximum sustained winds at 65 mph and was moving at 18 mph. Leslie was located about 330 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands. 

Interactive Radar

The National Hurricane Center said Leslie is expected to turn toward the northwest Sunday with little change in strength.

Hurricane Guide 2012

Meanwhile, Kirk was downgraded to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds at 65 mph.

As of 5 p.m., Kirk was located 665 miles southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland and 935 miles west-northwest of the Azores.

More Weather Stories

Hurricane Kirk continued moving over the open Atlantic with strong winds Friday as Tropical Storm Leslie was expected to become a hurricane later in the day, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

As of 5 p.m., Kirk was a Category 1 hurricane and had weakened with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph as it moved north at 13 mph about 1015 miles south  of Cape Race, Newfoundland and 1365 miles west of the Azores.

Interactive Radar

Kirk is expected to turn to the northwest with an increase in forward speed. It posed no threat to land and there were no watches or warnings in effect.

The hurricane is expected to continue to weaken beginning Friday night.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Leslie continued moving west-northwest and could become a hurricane later Friday or Friday night, according to the NHC.

Rescues Continue as Isaac Loses Strength

Leslie had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and was about 715 miles east of the Leeward Islands as of 5 p.m. The storm was expected to strengthen over the next 48 hours and stay northeast of the Leeward Islands.

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Complete Weather Coverage