A weather system moving quickly toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast became a tropical storm Monday morning, bringing the threat of storm surges, strong winds and heavy rain to millions in the Southeast.
Tropical Storm Gordon was about 60 miles west-northwest of Key Largo in the Florida Keys, as of midday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 45 mph and the system is moving west-northwest at 16 mph.
Gordon could be near hurricane strength when it makes landfall along the central Gulf Coast, the Miami-based hurricane center said.
The system was lashing Florida with tropical-storm force winds and heavy rains Monday morning, according to the hurricane center.
A hurricane watch was issued from the mouth of the Pearl River, in Mississippi, to the Alabama-Florida border, the NHC said, and a storm surge warning was issued from Shell Beach, Louisiana to the Mississippi-Alabama border, the NHC said. A storm surge watch was extended eastward from the border to Navarre, Florida, and a tropical storm warning was extended eastward to the Okaloosa-Walton county line.
There were around 4,800 customers without power in Miami-Dade and Broward counties on Monday, according to the Florida Power & Light Company. Florida Gov. Rick Scott said the biggest impact is expected to be heavy rain, and urged people to stay vigilant.
Gordon could dump 2 to 4 inches of rain over parts of the Bahamas, the Florida Keys and South Florida through early Tuesday. And isolated maximum amounts of 8 inches of rain were possible over the southern Florida peninsula, according to the NHC.
Florence was moving toward the west-northwest at 16 mph and maximum sustained winds at 65 mph with higher gusts on Monday morning.
Forecasters say little change in strength is expected in coming days and no coastal watches or warnings are in effect.
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