WeatherFanatics: Tropical Storm Colin lashes Florida with flooding rain, wind as it approaches

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

June 6,2016; 9:22PM,EDT

Tropical Storm Colin will take aim on Florida, threatening the Sunshine State with flooding rain and rough seas through Monday night. Heavy rain will also spread to southern Georgia and the Carolina coastline.
The tropical storm will track from the eastern Gulf of Mexico to northern Florida into Monday night.

The system is on track to make landfall in northwestern Florida, in the vicinity of Perry, and then race across northern Florida and southeastern Georgia on Monday night before hovering off the Carolina coastline by Tuesday morning.
However, residents and visitors will continue to face impacts as Colin approaches.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency on Monday in preparation for the storm. Scott also said the state's national guard has been activated, with more than 6,000 guardsmen ready for deployment.
Seas will build throughout the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico through Monday as the tropical storm organizes, creating hazards for boaters and swimmers.
Dangerous rip currents will develop, especially along Florida's west coast. Drenching rain will likely deter many from attempting to enter the pounding surf on Monday.
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Regardless of the strength of Tropical Storm Colin, torrential rain will push across western and northern Florida and southern Georgia through Monday night.
Localized downpours will erupt over other parts of the southeastern United States on Monday with heavier rain developing across the coastal Carolinas from Monday night into Tuesday.
"Since we are dealing with a fast-moving storm system, this should cut down on the duration of the rainfall," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said.
However, a total of 4-8 inches of rain is still expected in the corridor from Fort Myers and Tampa to Jacksonville and Tallahassee and northeastward to near Charleston, South Carolina.

Flooding is a serious concern with the majority of that rain set to fall within a 12-hour time period.
Colin is not expected to ramp up into a strong tropical storm or hurricane, but there could still be wind gusts capable of causing sporadic power outages and tree damage in northern Florida, southeastern Georgia and along Florida's west coast.
"Aircraft reconnaissance found two separate centers in Colin, which suggests the storm is poorly organized and has a very broad center of circulation," Kottlowski said.
As this storm approaches the west coast of Florida later Monday strong winds are likely to spread well south and east of the center of the storm, with impacts spreading across much of the west coast of the state.
An isolated tornado may also spin up east and southeast of the system's center in northern and central Florida, as well as far southeastern Georgia.
Winds driving water from the Gulf of Mexico onshore threaten to flood Florida's west coast beaches, near and south of where the system comes onshore. Some coastal erosion may occur.
There is concern for a 1- to 2-foot storm surge along the west coast of Florida, from Florida Bay to Indian Pass. However, the surge can rise to around 3 feet from Tampa Bay to near Apalachee Bay.

Seas will also build into Tuesday at the Atlantic beaches from Florida to the Carolinas, as the system approaches and then moves into the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.
Coastal flooding is a threat at high tide along the coast of Georgia and the Carolinas. Seas are already running high from the Perigean Spring Tides.
Flash flooding will occur across the eastern Carolinas through Tuesday morning, especially in the areas hit the hardest from Tropical Storm Bonnie during the last few days of May.

The strength and exact track of the system over the southwestern Atlantic will determine how much rain and wind impacts the coastal Carolinas. Residents should prepare for areas of flooding.
"There is some concern for a slight northward shift in the track that would keep the Tropical Storm Colin over far eastern South and North Carolina," Kottlowski said.
This would mean popular summer destinations like Myrtle Beach and the Outer Banks would be at a greater risk for heavy rain, strong winds and coastal erosion.
After impacting the Carolinas, the system will be rapidly swept away from the rest of the United States by a cold front that will usher fresh cool air into the Northeast.
By midweek, the system will lose its tropical characteristics; however, it could still bring rough seas, gusty winds and drenching thunderstorms to Bermuda.
In the East Pacific, the first tropical depression of the season has formed, and is expected to make landfall along the southern coast of Mexico on Tuesday.

Kendrick Cooper

I'm just north of Cedar Key near Fanning Springs. Right in the corridor. So far, lots of rain, virtually no wind.

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Julie Anne Curristan

Hi, up here in Merritt Island, 5 miles south of the Kennedy Space Center entrance. Rained earlier, now it's drizzling. That's all. Really. Not much lightning. Not much of anything . . . other than hype.

Monday, June 6, 2016

Tropical Storm Colin lashes Florida with flooding rain, wind as it approaches

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

June 6,2016; 9:22PM,EDT

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