(Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Colin moved out to sea earlyTuesday after knocking out power to thousands, prompting FloridaGovernor Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency. Thethreat of a storm surge flooding shifted to the Atlantic Coast fromthe Gulf of Mexico.
|The system may bring 1 to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) more rainacross eastern North Carolina and central Florida through Tuesday,the National HurricaneCenter said in a bulletin at about 5 a.m. New York time. Atropical storm warning was dropped for the Gulf Coast and part ofthe Atlantic Coast while one remained in place from Altamaha Sound,Georgia, to Oregon Inlet in North Carolina.
|About 26,000 customers had lost power in Florida and Georgia asof 7:45 p.m. New York time on Monday, utility data compiled byBloomberg show. Orange-juice futures jumped to the highest in morethan four years Monday on speculation that the storm would shrinkthe Florida crop.
|Colin is forecast to move out to sea on a northeastwardtrajectory, becoming post-tropical early Wednesday, according tothe hurricane center in Miami.
|“Some increase in strength is expected during the next 24hours,” the hurricane center said in its bulletin. “However, Colinis also expected to lose its tropical cyclone characteristics bytonight.”
|State of emergency in 34 counties
Scott declared a state of emergency in 34 counties. Franklin Countytold residents in low-lying areas and in mobile homes they shouldleave before the storm arrived.
Colin, with top winds of 50 miles (80 kilometers) an hour, wascentered about 110 miles northeast of Jacksonville, Florida, movingat 31 mph, the hurricane center said.
|Colin is the third named storm of 2016 and the second in about aweek. It comes less than a week into the official Atlantichurricane season. Hurricane Alex, the first storm of the year,formed in the mid-Atlantic in January. A storm gets a name when itswinds reach tropical-storm strength of 39 mph.
|Eastern Pacific threat
In the eastern Pacific, the first tropical depression of the yearhas formed and is about 110 miles south of Salina Cruz, Mexico, thehurricane center said. The storm’s top winds are 35 mph, just belowtropical-storm strength.
A tropical storm watch has been posted from Puerto Escondido toBoca De Pijijiapan, meaning conditions could deteriorate in thenext two days. It could bring as much as 10 inches of rain andcause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides in the Mexicanstates of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco and eastern Veracruz.
|Related: Are insurers prepared for Hurricane AndrewII?
|Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten,or redistributed.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- All PropertyCasualty360.com news coverage, best practices, and in-depth analysis.
- Educational webcasts, resources from industry leaders, and informative newsletters.
- Other award-winning websites including BenefitsPRO.com and ThinkAdvisor.com.
Already have an account? Sign In
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
