Storm Soaks Parts of Florida
Tropical Storm Barry strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday and lashed parts of Florida with as much as 8 inches of rain as it churned toward the Louisiana coast.
Ten flood watches were posted in South and Central Florida. The soaking rain swamped streets in dozens of communities and forced the postponement of an ‘N Sync concert in Miami.
“We’re going to be wet for a few days but this is South Florida--we’re used to that,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas said.
In late afternoon, the center of Barry was about 315 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and moving northwest at 4 mph with maximum sustained winds near 45 mph. Barry, the second named storm of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season, was projected to make a slight turn west today as it gained momentum.
“We’re expecting it to strengthen slowly over the next couple of days, possibly reaching hurricane force over the weekend,” said Daniel Brown, a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center.
The Center warned of possible coastal flooding over southeast Louisiana.
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