Tropical Storm Fay lingered over Southern Florida, bringing close to a foot of rain to the region, and could deliver a third blow to the state, according to forecast models.

The National Weather Service said Tropical Storm Fay struck Florida twice. On Monday afternoon, Fay made landfall over Key West Florida at 3 p.m. and made landfall again at 5 a.m. over Cape Romano.

Thousands of homes were reported to have lost power, and there was flooding throughout the state as rainfall in some areas totaled 10 inches, the Weather Service said.

Sustained winds topped 65 mph, with higher gusts, the National Hurricane Center said this afternoon, and the storm extended out 115 miles.

"Fay is not in a hurry to cross the South Florida peninsula," the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. public advisory as the storm moved across the state at 9 mph. It was expected to weaken as it moved over land.

Tropical storm warnings remained up along the west and east coast of the state. The National Hurricane Center said Fay is expected to move back over water tomorrow on the east coast of Florida and then will head back inland, moving in a northwestwardly direction.

Maximum total amounts of rain are expected to reach 15 inches, and the storm could produce tornados over the eastern portions of the state.

Neena Saith, catastrophe response manager at Risk Management Solutions, said the storm initially crossed over a sparsely populated region causing minimal wind damage. The main risk right now, she said, is flash flooding from the extended rainfall, but overall, the state has escaped a major storm this time around.

In Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba and other areas Fay took over 50 lives and caused flooding and landslides.

Steve E. Smith, president of Property Solutions Carvill ReAdvisory, said the picture of Fay remains "murky," "with models showing significant divergence." He said the storm is most likely to turn west, but whether it moves further inland or out into the Gulf of Mexico is a question.

A new hurricane tracking and damage assessment map released by Karen Clark & Co. (www.karenclarkandco.com) indicates that insured damage from Fay so far would be limited to slight damage from loose shingles and broken tree limbs in some areas. Higher winds could produce greater damage as the storm progresses.

Karen Clark, president and chief executive officer of the catastrophe risk management products and service provider, said the slow-moving nature of the storm and increased intensity over the next few days would mean greater probability of damage. However, there is a lot of uncertainty in the models at this point and Fay may intensify.

Lynne McChristian, Florida representative for the New York-based Insurance Information Institute, said current damage is from rain related either to flooding or ground saturation that could cause trees to uproot. There is also concern about tornado activity.

Special Reports /

Tropical Storm Fay Lingering Over Fla.

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