Eye on the Tropics

Gulf Coast residents brace for flooding from Tropical Storm Cindy

FLORIDA — Tropical Storm Cindy is spinning in the Gulf of Mexico and is threatening to spread heavy rain across a wide area of the central Gulf coast, according to Channel 9 chief meteorologist Tom Terry.

Cindy is expected to track northwest toward east Texas by Thursday, but wet weather from the storm is already impacting several states from Louisiana to Georgia.

Flash flood watches are in effect for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday.

Heavy rain totals along the Gulf coast could exceed 10 inches.

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Parts of those coasts have been placed under a tropical storm warning.

If it continues on that track, it will stay safely to the west of Florida.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says some slight strengthening is possible before the system reaches the coast, either late Wednesday or Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service in Miami says the storm is centered about 280 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana - or about 360 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.

Cindy has top sustained winds of 45 mph and the storm is stationary in the Gulf.

LIVE: Busy Start To Hurricane Season!

It's busy! One system (Cindy) is to the west of us & another is moving into the Caribbean. BOTH stay away from Central Florida. Check out the rain, though, that will pound our friends to the west!

Posted by Brian Shields, WFTV on Tuesday, June 20, 2017

STRENGTH OF TROPICAL SYSTEMS: SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE

Tropical Storm Bret, which became a named storm on Monday, dissipated on Tuesday Channel 9 chief meteorologist Tom Terry said.

It's the first time on record a storm formed this early in the season in the main development region, Terry said.

SEE THE LIST: 2017 Hurricane name list

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Tom Terry
Brian Shields
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