Storm total rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches are possible over portions of central and northern Florida through Friday, with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches possible.
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Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina’s Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas.
The system was moving to the northeast at 5 miles per hour.
Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency for 42 counties in Florida in preparation for damage expected from Tropical Depression Nine.
In addition to the wind and rough seas associated with tropical storms, heavy rainfall could also be a major threat from this system. The current intensity forecast has it just below Category 1 hurricane strength.
As of 5 a.m. ET, a hurricane watch was in effect from Florida’s Anclote River to Indian Pass – with a tropical storm warning in effect from the former to the Walton/Bay County line.
In the Atlantic, the tropical depression began moving away from North Carolina’s coast Tuesday night but National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Lonka said the Outer Banks will be lashed with rain and wind through Wednesday. Nine has been around seemingly forever, stubbornly refusing to strengthen into a tropical storm, but it is worth paying attention to the next few days. An area west of Indian Pass was under a tropical storm watch. The powerful storm is packing winds of 125 miles per hour, a category 3, but a combination of cooler ocean waters and increased wind shear should weaken the storm to a category 1 or 2 by Wednesday.
In nearby Frisco, whipped-up waves attracted out-of-town surfers.
A weak front arrives Thursday and that will bring our best chance for showers and storms this week, and our last day of this stretch of 90 degree weather.
RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina’s Outer Banks have been spared from a tropical storm system that has been moving toward the state for two days, an official said Wednesday. The forecaster said any shift in the storm’s forecast track could mean it would hit land.
The storm has begun a move to the north at 2 miles per hour and a Tropical Storm Watch for the Gulf Coast has now been upgraded to a Tropical Storm Warning.
Business owners on North Carolina’s Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands say they’ve experienced a drop in foot traffic. The Hurricane Center says it also could become a hurricane by the time it makes landfall.
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Hawaii is also bracing for a pair of hurricanes: Madeline late Wednesday and very early Thursday, and Lester by Saturday.
