Ophelia Follows Maria to Newfoundland

Hurricane Ophelia, the fourth hurricane of the year, passed over the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland this morning.

The storm was moving quickly northeast near 35 mph (56 kph) when the satellite image was taken. Ophelia has since weakened and become a post-tropical cyclone. This image is from GOES East at 7:15 a.m. EDT (11:15 Z) on October 3.

Ophelia first became a tropical storm late last week, strengthened to a Category 4 storm, then weakened into a tropical depression on Sunday (Sept. 25).

Ophelia was the 15th named storm of the 2011 season, followed by number 16, Tropical Storm Phillipe, which is still swirling over the open Atlantic basin.

The 2011 season was predicted to be a doozy, with 14 to 19 named storms (which include tropical storms and hurricanes), seven to 10 hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher). So far there have been 16 named storms, four hurricanes (Irene, Katia, Maria and Ophelia) and three major hurricanes (Irene, Katia and Ophelia).