The National Hurricane Center said Colin was gaining steam and moving towards Florida’s Big Bend region, on the state’s Gulf Coast, and that heavy rains had spread across much of the state.
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Colin made landfall with winds of 50 miles per hour near Deckle Beach in Taylor County, Fla, on Monday night, the hurricane center said.
By the early hours of Monday, heavy rain from Colin was spreading northward toward Florida, the hurricane center said. Inland communities will see about an inch of rain during this time period.
Despite its appearance it still had tropical storm force winds. Parts of the state including Tampa, could still see flooding Tuesday. Burgaw saw just 1.39 inch, and the heaviest rainfall in Brunswick County was 2.1 inches in Boiling Spring Lakes, according to the weather service.
Southwest Florida, which is under a flood watch until 12 a.m. Tuesday, is expected not to have a direct impact from Colin as the storm is expected to make landfall between Tampa and Cedar Key by Monday evening.
Water managers are also keeping a close eye on Lake Okeechobee and water levels in South Florida.
Hardened Floridians laugh in the face of a tropical storm, and Colin was no different.
It is expected to race along the U.S. East Coast, pounding the Carolinas as it heads northeast Tuesday, CNN senior meteorologist Taylor Ward said.
The storm also threatened crops in Florida, the country’s biggest citrus producer, which sent US orange juice futures on Monday to their highest in more than two years.
Michael Shook, surfer, said, “Not too bad, we looked at the camera this morning and it wasn’t too windy and not too bad of a current”.
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge remains closed due to high winds.
On Tybee Island, Morris said she’d continue to pay close attention to weather reports for the remainder of this year’s hurricane season, which runs through November 30. It came ashore in Florida early Tuesday, flooding many areas along the state’s Gulf of Mexico coastline.
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A tropical storm warning was in effect for northern Florida north into North Carolina on Tuesday morning. “I do watch the weather report. but no, I’m not anxious”.
