BEIJING, Oct. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Tropical storm warnings were in effect for Haiti and Cuba Sunday night, as Tropical Storm Noel gained strength over the Caribbean and threatened to lash the islands with potentially deadly rains, media reported.

    The storm, with top sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (95 km per hour), will pass over Haiti's southwestern peninsula late Sunday and cross the eastern end of Cuba before turning northward toward the Bahamas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center projected.

    At 11 p.m. EDT, Noel was located 105 miles south of Port au Prince, Haiti, and 295 miles southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm was moving north-northwest at 5 mph.

    Storm alerts were posted for Haiti, parts of southeast Cuba, and for Jamaica. Cuba also issued a hurricane watch for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.

    The more immediate threat from Noel, the 14th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, appeared to be its rains, especially to Haiti. Forecasters warned the storm could send flash floods gushing down the stripped hills in the country.

    (Agencies)