Hurricane Noel expected to brush East Coast

(CNN) -- Hurricane Noel grew in size Friday as it ran almost parallel to the East Coast, on track to bring heavy rain to parts of New England, the National Hurricane Center said.

As of 5 p.m. ET, Noel's maximum sustained winds were near 80 mph (130 kph), with its center about 450 miles (725 kilometers) west of Bermuda and about 320 miles (510 kilometers) southeast of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras.

The Category 1 hurricane was moving northeast at 20 mph (32 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.

Although the hurricane center predicted that Noel will skirt the U.S. coast before crossing Nova Scotia overnight Saturday, forecasters urged U.S. residents "from North Carolina northward" to watch local weather forecasts, and advised Canadian citizens to consult that nation's hurricane center. Watch how the Northeast can expect hurricane-strength storm »

Noel is forecast to dump up to 4 inches across eastern New England, with isolated maximum totals of up to 6 inches. See the storm's projected path »

Hurricane-force winds extended 70 miles (110 kilometers) from Noel's center, and tropical storm-force winds extended up to 345 miles (555 kilometers), according to the Miami, Florida-based hurricane center.

One person was killed by the storm in the Bahamas on Thursday, the AP reported, with about 400 people forced from their homes.

Cuban authorities said they evacuated 24,000 people because of flooding, the AP said. At least 2,000 homes were damaged, but no deaths were reported, according to the AP. See scenes of heavy flooding »

Earlier this week, the storm triggered flooding and landslides that killed at least 116 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, according to the AP.

One person also was killed in Jamaica.

Noel is the fifth named hurricane of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends November 30. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

All About Cuba • Dominican Republic • Haiti • Bahamas