Tropical storm warnings have been posted for portions of the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast of Florida, including the Tampa, Apalachicola and Jacksonville areas and extend as far north as just north of Charleston, South Carolina.
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Tropical Storm Colin as of 7 a.m. was about 45 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina, and 170 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. On its forecast path, Colin would churn across southeastern Georgia early on Tuesday and later in the day menace the North and SC coasts.
Five-day rain totals could reach four inches in North Palm Beach County with the potential of street flooding in areas with poor drainage and where showers concentrate for long periods.
Flood warnings were issued in many parts of the Tampa Bay area and Tuesday’s commute was shaping up to be a hard one with roads underwater and in some areas, closed entirely.
Some strengthening is expected, but the storm is forecast to lose its tropical cyclone status by Tuesday night.
South Florida was expected to see some heavy downpours as Tropical Storm Colin was on its way to strike north Florida later Monday with threatening rains forecasters say could cause some serious flooding along much of the state’s Gulf coast.
“Looking at South Florida, we’re mostly out of the way”, said John Cangialosi, a hurricane specialist with the National Weather Service in Miami-Dade. Schools were still open across Pinellas County and throughout the Bay Area, despite the blustery morning and flood warnings.
By late Tuesday afternoon and evening the storm is expected to be out to sea, but not without bringing heavy rains to the Carolinas, where 3 to 6 inches are possible.
Colin also threatened crops in Florida, the country’s biggest citrus producer, which sent USA orange juice futures on Monday to their highest in more than two years.
Colin was the earliest third Atlantic storm on record.
“We’re pretty much done with this”, WIS First Alert Meteorologist Tim Miller said. Some increase in strength is expected during the next 24 hours.
If the system strengthens into a formidable tropical storm, minor wind damage and coastal flooding will also be possible somewhere from the Nature Coast to the Florida Keys.
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Lifeguards are still urging people to stay out of the water because the risks for rip currents will remain high.
