First Named Storm of Year Hits Florida

Andrea brings 60mph winds, at least five tornadoes
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 6, 2013 11:14 AM CDT
First Named Storm of Year Hits Florida
In this Wednesday, June 5, 2013 GOES satellite photo provided by NASA/NOAA, Andrea, the first named storm of the Atlantic season, forms over the Gulf of Mexico.   (AP Photo/NASA/NOAA)

Tropical Storm Andrea brushed its fingers across south Florida today, bringing 60mph winds, heavy rains, end even tornadoes with it. By this afternoon, Andrea's gusts could climb into hurricane-strength territory, CNN reports, though the storm won't spend enough time over the water to become an actual hurricane. At least five tornadoes have already come ashore, and Tampa Bay is currently under an extended tornado watch, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

But the rain may be even more dangerous, with heavy flooding expected in northern and western Florida. "Andrea got a little better organized overnight," a National Weather Service meteorologist says. Right now the storm is moving eastward at 15mph, with its center roughly 100 miles west of Tampa, USA Today reports. It's the first named storm in what's expected to be an especially bad hurricane season. (More Tropical Storm Andrea stories.)

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