ODETTE

History

Tropical Storm Odette was a rare late-season Atlantic cyclone that developed near the coast of Panama on 4 December 2003, after the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season — making it the first tropical storm on record to form in the Caribbean during December. The fifteenth named storm of the 2003 Atlantic season, Odette tracked northeast through the Caribbean, reaching peak winds of 65 mph (105 km/h) on 6 December while approximately 245 miles southwest of Santo Domingo. It weakened slightly before making landfall at Jaragua National Park in the Pedernales Province of the Dominican Republic late on 6 December with winds of around 60 mph (95 km/h). The storm emerged into the open Atlantic the following day and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone before dissipating on 9 December.

Heavy rainfall across the Dominican Republic, reaching over 9 inches at Isla Saona, triggered widespread flash flooding and mudslides. Up to 60,000 homes were damaged and 34 destroyed, while river flooding caused two bridge collapses and severely impacted agriculture, with losses of up to 85% of the banana crop and significant coffee damage totalling around USD $8 million. Eight direct deaths and fourteen injuries were recorded, along with two indirect fatalities. Approximately 65,000 people were affected overall, with relief efforts coordinated by the Dominican Republic Red Cross.

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology report Wikipedia