Tropical Storm Colin has picked up speed as the tropical cyclone makes landfall on Florida’s Big Bend area.
LOCATION
As of 11 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, June 6, 2016, Tropical Storm Colin is located over the Gulf of Mexico about 65 miles northwest of Cedar Key, Florida and is moving toward the northeast at 22 mph.
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PROJECTED PATH
A continued northeastward motion at a faster forward speed is expected over the next 48 hours. On the forecast track, the center of Colin will move onshore in the Florida Big Bend area shortly, then move across northern Florida and southeastern Georgia through early Tuesday morning, and move near or over the southeastern coast of the United States Tuesday. However, it’s important to note that the strongest winds and heaviest rains are well removed from the center.
STRENGTH
Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast after Colin moves into the Atlantic on Tuesday.
Tropical-storm force winds extend outward up to 230 miles (370 km) to the southeast of the storm’s center.
Some slight strengthening up to 65 mph is possible on Tuesday when Colin is near the southeastern United States coast off of South Carolina.
TROPICAL STORM WARNING
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Gulf coast of Florida from Indian Pass to Englewood.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the southeastern U.S. coast from Sebastian Inlet, Florida to Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.
TROPICAL STORM IMPACTS
WIND: Tropical storm conditions will continue across portions of the warning area along the west coast of the Florida peninsula for the next several hours. Tropical storm conditions have likely begun over portions of the warning area along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and these conditions will spread northward and northeastward over the remainder of the warning area overnight and on Tuesday.
RAINFALL: Colin is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches with isolated maximum totals of 10 inches across western to northern Florida, southeast Georgia, and coastal areas of the Carolinas through Tuesday.
STORM SURGE: The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters. The water could reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide…
Indian Pass to Tampa Bay…1 to 3 ft with slightly higher amounts possible in a few locations.
Tampa Bay south to Florida Bay…1 to 2 ft.
Localized coastal flooding and dangerous surf are possible along the Atlantic coast from Florida to North Carolina within the tropical storm warning area.
The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.
TORNADOES: A tornado or two will remain possible across parts of central and northeast Florida early tonight, and perhaps near coastal areas of Georgia and the Carolinas overnight.
