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Florida declares state of emergency as storm Alberto approaches

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Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency as Subtropical Storm Alberto brought rain to parts of Florida and moved into the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center’s 5 p.m. advisory placed Alberto north of the western tip of Cuba and forecast a path that could see landfall anywhere from Apalachicola to near the Mississippi-Louisiana border as a tropical storm Monday night.

Tornadoes are possible this evening and tonight in west-central Florida, according to NHC. Tropical storm conditions are expected Sunday on the west coast of Florida’s peninsula in extended areas north and south of Tampa Bay, from Anclote River to Bonita Beach.

Central Florida faces a Flood Watch. Radar showed rain west of The Villages, along both coasts and in the Everglades on Saturday evening.

Shortly after 3 p.m., National Weather Service Miami said via its Twitter account that a possible funnel cloud was seen in a line of storms in Broward County.

Rain of 3-7 inches is possible in South Florida, with some areas possibly seeing 10 inches, NHC said. The Panhandle could see a few inches more.

A Tropical Storm Watch covers much of Florida’s panhandle and extended areas around Tampa Bay from Bonita Beach to Anclote River.

In its 5 p.m. advisory, the Hurricane Center said the center of Alberto was located near latitude 23.3 North, longitude 85.1 West about 170 miles southwest of the Dry Tortugas. The storm is moving toward the north near 13 mph, a reflection the storm had picked up speed since the morning.

“There has been an increase in convection to the east and southeastof the center of Alberto this morning, however, the overallorganization of the system has not changed much,” forecasters said in the NHC discussion.

A northward to north-northeastward motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn to the northwest and a slowdown Sunday.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in place for the Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys.

A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for the west coast of Florida, from Boca Grande to Anclote River. In the panhandle, the Tropical Storm Watch has been extended eastward to the Aucilla River.

The Storm Surge Watch has been extended eastward from Crystal River in Florida to the Mouth of the Mississippi River, the NHC said.

A Flood Watch has been issued for all of Central Florida, forecasters in Melbourne said.

The National Hurricane Center said that the Florida Keys and Southwest Florida should begin to feel the effects of Alberto this evening and tonight, with the possibility of “a tornado or two.”

“Rainfall accumulations of 3 to 7 inches with maximum amounts of 10 inches are possible across the Florida Keys and southern and southwestern Florida,” the Hurricane Center said.

Central Florida’s Flood Watch is forecast through the Memorial Day weekend by National Weather Service in Melbourne.

“A prolonged period of heavy rainfall potential is expected across the area as Alberto moves northward through the Gulf of Mexico and pulls deep tropical moisture over east Central Florida,” Weather Service forecasters said. “Widespread rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches are possible. Storm total rainfall amounts may reach up to 6 to 8 inches in localized [areas] by Monday. This will cause a concern for flooding across east Central Florida, especially in areas that received heavy rainfall earlier this month.”

Their forecast for Central Florida said to expect a 40 percent chance of showers after noon today with east-southeast wind 5 to 15 mph. Tonight, showers are likely and possibly a thunderstorm. On Sunday, showers and possibly a thunderstorm are expected, with some storms possibly producing heavy rainfall. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph expected Sunday.

The Hurricane Center said the center of Alberto is expected to move near the western tip of Cuba on Saturday afternoon, track across the eastern Gulf of Mexico tonight through Monday, and approach the northern Gulf Coast in the watch area Monday night.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 40 mph with higher gusts, and a gradual strengthening is expected until the system’s center reaches the northern Gulf Coast near the Florida-Alabama state line by Monday night, the Hurricane Center said. Tropical storm-force winds of 40 mph extend outward up to 140 miles — mainly to the east of the center.

The Hurricane Center said the primary risks associated with Alberto are heavy rainfall and flash flooding today over western Cuba, southern Florida and the Florida Keys; tropical-storm-force winds and hazardous storm surge are possible along portions of the central and eastern U.S. Gulf Coast beginning on Sunday, including areas well east of the track of Alberto’s center; and dangerous surf and rip current conditions that are affecting portions of the Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba and will likely spread along the eastern and central U.S. Gulf Coast later today and tonight.