ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Storm Gordon continues to impact South Florida with heavy rain and gusty winds. 

  • Tropical Storm Gordon bringing heavy rain to South Florida
  • Storm should make landfall near Louisiana or Mississippi
  • TS Florence in central Atlantic is strengthening
  • TRACKING THE TROPICS: Watches, warnings, forecasts, spaghetti models

The system is located approximately 95 miles west of Ft. Myers, Florida.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to 60 mph. It is moving quickly to the west-northwest at 17 mph.

Watches and warnings have been expanded to include the western panhandle of Florida. A hurricane watch is now also in effect for the northern Gulf coast.

The following alerts are in effect:

Storm surge warning:

  • Shell Beach to Dauphin Island

Storm surge watch:

  • West of Shell Beach to the mouth of the Mississippi River
  • East of Dauphin Island to Navarre, Florida

Hurricane warning:

  • Mouth of the Pearl River to the Alabama/Florida border

Tropical storm warning:

  • Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach
  • West of the mouth of Pearl River to east of Morgan City, Louisiana, including Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas
  • Craig Key to Ocean Reef, including Florida Bay
  • Alabama-Florida border to Okaloosa/Walton County Line 

Heavy rainfall and tropical storm-force wind gusts will continue across much of South Florida and the Florida Keys. Two to 4 inches of rain are possible, with isolated 8-inch amounts in South Florida. An isolated tornado will also be possible in South Florida.

Tropical storm-force winds and heavy rainfall are likely Tuesday into Wednesday in the northern Gulf coast.

At this time, landfall is likely along the Louisiana or Mississippi coastline late Tuesday into Tuesday night as a strong tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane.

Storm surge of 1 to 5 feet will be possible along the Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana coastline near landfall.

For Central Florida, the heavy rainfall ends tonight.

Florence

Elsewhere in the tropics, Tropical Storm Florence is stronger and just below hurricane strength as it moves across the central Atlantic.

The winds have increased to 70 mph.

Florence is located about 1,055 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.

It is moving to the west at 15 mph.

Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the storm's center. The minimum central pressure is 995 mb.

Florence is expected to remain a tropical storm in the open waters of the Atlantic through midweek.

The track beyond this time frame is still a little uncertain. Some forecast models are taking the system north into the waters of the mid-Atlantic while others are taking Florence farther west.

There are no watches or warnings in effect as Florence is in the open waters.

Additional systems are possible over the next one to two weeks as we are now in the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30.