ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —
Cristobal continues pushing up big waves across the Gulf of Mexico, and is expected to make landfall west of New Orleans late this afternoon or early this evening.
Sunday morning, Cristobal had winds of 50 mph, moving to the north at 12 mph. The storm isn’t expected to intensify a great deal, but will bring storm surge and flooding rains to the north Gulf Coast region.
Across Tampa Bay, the storm has helped bring 5-10 inches of rain over the last few days. While the more widespread heavy rain will shift north of Tampa Bay today, occasional waves of heavy rain will still be possible, which could cause flash flooding. A flash flood watch is in effect into the evening. High surf and rip currents are also a concern.
About a dozen tornado warnings were issued in Florida yesterday, including some in Tampa Bay. That threat is expected to move north today as well, as the primary threat from the Cristobal’s impacts here will be heavy rain and lightning.
The storm has had quite some history.
It originally developed partially out of the remnants of the eastern Pacific’s Tropical Storm Amanda.
That energy developed in the Atlantic basin’s south Gulf of Mexico in the Bay of Campeche, where it became the earliest third named storm in Atlantic hurricane history, Tropical Storm Cristobal. It then moved back into Mexico, weakened to a tropical depression before re-emerging in the Gulf of Mexico as, once again, a tropical storm.
WTSP meteorologists on Facebook: Bobby Deskins, Grant Gilmore, Ric Kearbey, Natalie Ferrari, Autumn Robertson
WTSP meteorologists on Twitter: Bobby Deskins, Grant Gilmore, Ric Kearbey, Natalie Ferrari, Autumn Robertson
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