New Storm May Hit Florida’s East Coast

About 120 miles of Florida’s Atlantic coast were under a tropical storm warning Tuesday as a system formed just offshore and threatened to dump up to 15 inches of rain in parts of the state.

The tropical depression could strengthen into Tropical Storm Ophelia today, which prompted the warning from north of Jupiter to Titusville, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“The primary concern is very heavy rains,” hurricane specialist Richard Pasch said.

Five to 10 inches were expected over the next few days, with some isolated areas possibly getting 15 inches. The rain was expected to hit areas affected by last year’s hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. Much of the region has recovered, but some homes remain covered in tarps as owners await new roofs.

Emergency management officials in St. Lucie and Indian River counties said they were monitoring the storm but were not taking any protective action.

Two other storms were out in the open ocean as the busy hurricane season continued. Tropical Storm Nate was expected to strengthen south of Bermuda, while Hurricane Maria weakened on its way to the colder waters of the North Atlantic.

Nate was centered about 275 miles south-southwest of Bermuda with top sustained winds near 60 mph. Forecasters said it could reach hurricane strength today. It was expected to make a turn to the northeast over the next 24 hours, forecasters said.

“Perhaps by the end of the workweek, it could be posing a threat to Bermuda but not the U.S.,” hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart said.