After Swiping at Florida, Tropical Storm Ophelia Broods at Sea

Brisk wind and heavy rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia moved through this beachside community Wednesday, sending tourists scurrying inland and driving surfers out of the churning Atlantic.

The storm could bring bad weather to central and northern Florida over the next few days, forecasters said.

The Jacksonville area is one of the few spots in Florida spared any serious damage from the six hurricanes that have hit the state in the last 13 months.

“We have to wait and see what [Ophelia] is going to do. The possibilities are endless,” said meteorologist Steve Letro of the National Weather Service in Jacksonville.

Without strong steering currents, it was impossible to say what path Ophelia would take or whether it would reach hurricane strength, Letro said. Some computer models had the storm moving farther east and away from the coast; others had it going west, closer to shore; and some showed it heading east and then looping back toward the state.

The storm was about 80 miles east-northeast of Cape Canaveral. It had top sustained winds of about 50 mph, up from 40 mph earlier in the day, and was nearly stationary.

A tropical storm warning -- meaning winds exceeding 39 mph are possible within 24 hours -- was canceled for areas south of Cocoa Beach but remained in effect north to Flagler Beach.

A tropical storm watch -- meaning those conditions are possible within 36 hours -- was in effect from Flagler Beach to Fernandina Beach.

“This one is going to keep everybody on the edge of their seats for quite some time,” Letro said.

Ken Lloyd, general manager of a beachside restaurant and bar, was born in 1964 during Hurricane Dora, the last major hurricane to hit the community.

“I’m worried about it. They just don’t know what it is going to do,” Lloyd said.

In Volusia County, damaged by three of last year’s hurricanes, plans were being made to set up two shelters today.

“We’re just opening them in an extreme abundance of caution,” county spokesman Dave Byron said.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Nate intensified into a hurricane south of Bermuda, and Tropical Storm Maria was upgraded to a hurricane again over the open ocean. Neither was considered a threat to the United States.

Maria and Nate were the fifth and sixth hurricanes of the Atlantic season, which began June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

Storm activity typically peaks from the end of August through mid-September.