Weakened Storm Zigzags Back Toward Florida

The long-lived, erratic storm known as Gordon zigzagged back to Florida on Sunday as a dwindling weather system, nothing like the hurricane and tropical storm blamed for hundreds of deaths.

At 4 p.m. EST, the depression was centered 85 miles east of Cape Canaveral. It was moving west at 11 m.p.h. and was expected to continue weakening.

Its strongest winds were about 30 m.p.h., down from its peak of 80 m.p.h. after reaching hurricane strength last week off the coast of North Carolina.

Gordon formed Nov. 8 off Nicaragua, zigzagged east through the Caribbean as a tropical storm, and snaked west alongside the Florida Keys and then northeast across the Florida Peninsula. Once in the Atlantic, it strengthened and headed north to North Carolina, then reversed course.