On November 28, after finishing the second loop, Olga turned to the southwest due to a building ridge to its northwest. Around the same time, it began a steady weakening trend, due to strong wind shear displacing the convection. The eye became poorly defined as the center became exposed, and on November 29 Olga weakened to tropical storm status. With the thunderstorms rapidly diminishing, the storm weakened quickly, and Olga deteriorated further to a tropical depression on November 30. Forecasters anticipated continued weakening until dissipation, although the cyclone was expected to move over an area of more favorable conditions, including warmer waters and lighter shear. Still existing as a tropical cyclone on December 1, Olga extended the hurricane season beyond its typical boundaries. It continued producing a small area of deep convection, prompting one forecaster to note that "Olga is stubbornly holding on to tropical cyclone status... for now." After reaching a position about 240 mi (385 km) northeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the depression turned toward the north after a trough created a weakness in the ridge. After a decrease in wind shear, deep convection redeveloped over the center, and Olga re-intensified into a tropical storm on December 2.