Tracking Andrea:
National Hurricane Center / NOAA
A satellite image of Tropical Storm Andrea from 10:45 a.m. June 6th, 2013
MIAMI (AP) — Heavy rain was pouring across much of Florida early Thursday as the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season headed toward the state’s western coast and a new tropical storm warning was issued for a swath of the U.S. East Coast.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect for a large section of Florida’s west coast from Boca Grande to Indian Pass and for the East Coast from Flagler Beach, Fla., all the way to Cape Charles Light in Virginia.
Tropical Storm Andrea’s maximum sustained winds increased to near 60 mph (95 kph) and the storm was expected to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend area Thursday afternoon before moving across southeastern Georgia and the Carolinas. It was not expected to strengthen into a hurricane.
Updated Friday, 10:10 a.m.: Donna Green-Townsend and Brandan McCalla of WUFT News returned to Gainesville late Thursday night with audio, images and video of Tropical Storm Andrea’s impact in the Big Bend area.
Click here to see Brandan MCalla’s video story on Tropical Storm Andrea.