Imelda, Humberto Interact as Florida Coast Braces for Rain and Seas

A pair of Atlantic storms and several tropical disturbances are keeping emergency managers and coastal residents on alert this week as Tropical Storm Imelda moves north past the Bahamas and away from the Florida coast while Hurricane Humberto churns to its east. Imelda struck Bermuda as a hurricane earlier in the week, then weakened and has since tracked northeastward into the open Atlantic. The Bahamas and parts of Florida and the Southeast are expected to see heavy rain, gusty winds and hazardous surf through the coming days.

The center of Imelda was passing the northwestern Bahamas Monday morning and was forecast to remain well offshore of Florida as it moved north. The National Hurricane Center cautioned that the storm is large and slow enough to produce significant rainfall along coastal areas even if its core stays at sea. The Bahamas could receive the heaviest totals, with six to eight inches possible in areas near Eleuthera and Abaco. East central Florida from Martin County north to Volusia County was under a tropical storm warning, while offshore waters of Miami-Dade and Broward counties remained under a tropical storm watch; inland South Florida had no watches or warnings.