Tropical storm moves ashore
TAMARA LUSH
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tropical storm Emily churned ashore near Tampa Bay on Monday, starting a trek across the peninsula amid drenching rains and fears of scattered flooding that prompted the governor to declare nearly half of Florida’s counties in a state of emergency.
The National Hurricane Center said the ill-defined storm that sprang out of the Gulf of Mexico reached Florida’s central Gulf Coast late Monday morning and was moving eastward at 15 km/h. The Miami-based centre said Emily was expected to weaken to a tropical depression while crossing Florida on a path out into the Atlantic.
The Florida Highway Patrol closed the towering Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay on Monday morning because of high winds from Emily, which had maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h as it crawled ashore. Sgt. Steve Gaskins urged motorists in an e-mail to seek other routes after gusts at the bridge were clocked at more than 95 km/h.
Forecasters say Emily was expected to dump between 50 to 100 mm of rain through Monday night between the Tampa Bay area and Naples, with isolated amounts up to 200 mmm in spots. Lesser amounts were predicted elsewhere.
On Treasure Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico west of St. Petersburg, a normally packed beach parking lot was almost empty of tourists Monday. Only a handful of people were on the white sand beach and a few bodysurfed small waves in an area that doesn’t normally get waves. Some took selfies amid a mix of clouds and patches of blue sky on the northern edge of the storm system.
Kevin Baker, a 53-year-old retiree who takes his walks daily at Treasure Island, said he decided to venture out despite the storm “to watch the clouds to go by.”
“This morning was pretty bad. It rained pretty hard. I got a little leak in my Jeep even,” said Baker. But though the weather there had briefly improved at midday, he added, “we’re supposed to get hit again.”
A flood watch is in effect for much of the Tampa area, raising the threat of some scattered street flooding in low-lying areas. Law enforcement agencies urged motorists to drive with caution.