Tropical Storm Andrea has hit Florida. The National Hurricane Center reported that Andrea had already whipped up 48 mph winds in St Petersberg. Forecasts say that the storm won't become a hurricane as it won't spend enough time over the Gulf of Mexico before it makes a projected land fall on Florida's west coast.
"At 11 a.m. Thursday, Andrea was 110 miles west of Tampa and headed northeast at 15 mph, the Hurricane Center said. Its top winds were 60 mph," reported CNN.
Forecasters reported to CNN that "No significant change in strength is expected before the center reaches the coast later today. Some weakening is forecast tonight and early Friday while the center of Andrea moves over land."
Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said to Fox News, "The rain covers a good portion of the Florida peninsula even though the center is a couple of hundred miles off shore."
Tropical storm warnings were posted across Flagler Beach, Florida which is about 70 miles from Jacksonville to Chesapeake Bay. The storm is expected to travel up to the East Coast. There have also been tropical storm warnings from Boca Grande, near Fort Myers to Indian Pass, near Apalachicola.
"The main threat from Andrea will be torrential rain, which will cause flooding across the northern half of Florida, especially along the west coast. Rainfall totals could be as high as six inches, and weak tornadoes could also be spawned by the storm as it moves across the state," reported CNN.
Andrea is not expected to cause serious damage. The storm is epected to cross southeastern Georgia, reported CNN. North and South Carolina in its eastern parts could also see up to four inches of rain reported the National Hurricane Center.
"The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters," the center said according to CNN.
