A tropical depression off the Gulf Coast of Florida was upgraded to a tropical storm Monday, the National Hurricane Center said.
July 31 (UPI) — A tropical depression off the Gulf Coast of Florida was upgraded to a tropical storm on Monday, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was designated Tropical Storm Emily on Monday morning — the fifth named storm of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season.
Emily is moving eastward with strong winds at about 8 mph, and is expected to bring very heavy rain to south and central Florida in the coming days. Monday, officials said 60 mph winds forced the closure of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg and caused some infrastructure damage.
No serious injuries have yet been reported.
A tropical storm warning was issued early Monday for the west coast of Florida, from Anclote River southward to Bonita Beach.
The tropical storm made landfall at about 10: 45 a.m., on Anna Maria Island, near Bradenton.
Emily is expected to turn northeast as it passes over the state, indicating central Florida will receive much of the expected rain.
The storm is expected to move offshore to the Atlantic Ocean by early Tuesday.
Rain accumulations of two to four inches are predicted for the state’s west coast, the National Hurricane Center said, with isolated amounts of up to eight inches possible.
