Tropical storm makes landfall in Florida

Gusty winds of up to 40 miles per hour are expected in South Florida today.

Rain chances are high throughout the week, according to NWS forecasters. “Strong winds, heavy rains and coastal flooding are likely to occur well to the east of the center”.

And there could be more rough weather to come as the storm moves into the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters warned.

Governor Rick Scott said the state’s National Guard is ready to deploy up to 6,000 personnel to areas affected by the hurricane.

“Some of this rain could be 6 inches deep”, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.

Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson said Tuesday the Outer Banks is still soggy from last week’s Tropical Storm Bonnie.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for northern Florida north into North Carolina on Tuesday morning. Some flooded out roads remained closed throughout the region. About 4 inches of rain fell at the Liberty County airport near Hinesville. Wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour are still possible. Colin’s clouds had already spread over Florida.

LYNX staff is monitoring the storm but they do not expect changes to service.

The U.S. Hurricane Center said Colin, which formed Sunday, was the earliest a third named storm had developed during the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially began June 1.

Meanwhile, up to 2 inches of rain was expected to hit the barrier islands of North Carolina.

The center of Colin was just off-shore near the border of North and SC. The state also has a 250-person team responding to road closures and directing traffic during power outages.

Tropical depressions have wind speeds of less than 39 mph, while tropical storms carry wind speeds of between 39 mph (63 kph) and 73 mph (117 kph). Jasper County had the biggest problem with about three dozen customers without service.

“Dating to the 1950s, when tropical cyclone name lists were first enacted, there have only been two other June Atlantic “C” storms: Hurricane Chris [first a subtropical storm on June 18, 2012]”. The threat of floods remained a concern on Tuesday in the Tampa Bay region, which saw some of the heaviest sustained rainfall. Isolated areas could see up to 10 inches. A blast of cool air will also settle in across the Northeast on Tuesday.

Colin’s center was about 55 miles west-southwest of Jacksonville, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.