Tropical Storm Colin left Florida early Tuesday but it continued to cause problems on roads around the Tampa Bay area throughout the day. Interestingly he added, three recent examples of June Gulf of Mexico tropical storms affecting Florida all had the same, lopsided appearance this potential “Colin” may possess.
Advertisement
Florida Governor Rick Scott, who had declared a state of emergency on Monday in 34 of the state’s 67 counties, said more than 6,000 Florida National Guard members were activated and ready for deployment. This is the first named storm to make landfall in Florida since Andrea in 2013.
But Florida is not in the clear yet.
Post-Tropical Storm Colin’s remnants were speeding off to the northeast into the Atlantic and history.
The National Weather Service dropped a tropical storm warning for northern Georgia, South Carolina and the southeastern coast of North Carolina at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
But at 8 a.m. Tuesday, 24-hour rainfall totals were between 1 and 3 inches.
Tropical Storm Colin kicks up the waters around Davis Island with the Tampa, Fla., skyline in the background Monday, June 6, 2016.
Southwest Florida’s coastal areas are expected to see a storm surge of 1-2 feet.
The hurricane center said there were no more coastal warnings but some slight strengthening could occur Tuesday night.
A tornado warning was issued for Lee and Charlotte counties at about 2:30 a.m. Monday as Tropical Storm Colin approaches the Gulf Coast.
Although maximum sustained winds are at 68 miles per hour with higher gusts, the system’s strongest winds and heaviest rains were over water and southeast of the center.
Tropical Storm Colin made landfall Monday night in Florida’s Big Bend region before cutting across southeast Georgia and quickly moving into the Atlantic Ocean.
What was Tropical Storm Colin is no longer a factor in South Florida’s weather but the atmosphere remains laden with moisture – and that means there’s rain in the forecast.
Advertisement
The South Carolina Department of Transportation says crews are monitoring roadways prone to flooding, clearing them of fallen trees and debris, and installing road closures as necessary. The computer models did not recognize the very stable conditions aloft over southeast Florida which then prevented air from rising and allowing rain to fall. More than 2 inches fell at Pawleys Island in SC. Twenty-four counties in the state were under flood watch due to the storm. That said, early-season (or pre-season) tropical cyclone activity has little bearing on the number or intensity of storms for the season as a whole. This is also only the third time we’ve ever seen a C-named storm in June.
