8 PM update: Post-Tropical Cyclone Andrea is now centered over the Chesapeake Bay and will continue to move rapidly off to the northeast at 45 mph. Showers and storms wrapping around the storm continue to produce heavy rainfall in northern and western portions of Hampton Roads. Some areas in James City County have received more than eight inches of rain from Andrea. Maximum sustained winds are at 45 miles per hour with gusts to 52. - Meteorologist Patrick Rockey
Interactive Hurricane Tracker | Latest weather closings
Local areas prepare for Tropical Storm Andrea
Norfolk Harborfest: Parade of Sail canceled, other events relocated
Dare County officials warn residents as Andrea approaches
Jim Shepperd was just crossing the Howard Frankland Bridge from Tampa to St. Petersburg when the winds whipped furiously and the first named storm of the hurricane season began its one-two punch on the Tampa Bay area.
By the time he and his chow-shepherd mix, Aussie, made it home to Gulfport, Tropical Storm Andrea was thrashing his neighborhood. Just down the street, a tornado touched down, felling a massive 200-year-old cedar tree. "There were a lot of trees down," the hairstylist said Friday morning. "We're lucky. We're OK."
By 5 p.m. ET, Andrea's heavy rain had moved on, targeting a broad swath of the East Coast. The storm, categorized as a post-tropical cyclone with sustained winds of up to 45 mph, was about 55 miles northeast of Raleigh, North Carolina, and continuing on its predicted path up the Northeast Coast.
Forecasters say it's expected to drench 13 states from Georgia to Maine.
Meteorologists want everyone in Andrea's path to know this: The storm's biggest danger will probably be flash floods.
The National Weather Service offers tips on what to do in a flooding situation. In short, road beds may be washed out under flood waters, so never drive through flooded roadways.
At 11 a.m. Friday, the National Hurricane Center said Andrea was packing 45-mph winds and was about 50 miles southwest of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and 90 miles west of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Andrea is expected to produce 2 to 4 inches of rain in central and eastern North Carolina. Up to 2 inches are expected over portions of South Carolina.
Farther north on Friday, a flood watch area includes Washington, which the National Weather Service predicts could get 6 inches of rain Friday, and New York, where forecasters say 1 to 2 inches of rain an hour could fall at times into Saturday.
Even Maine's coast, including Portland, could see as much as 3 inches of rain by the time the weekend is done.
As of 8 a.m., Andrea's projected path is similar to that of Tropical Storm Debby nearly a year ago. Debby dumped up to 2 feet of rain onto the low-lying areas, causing extensive flooding in some coastal towns.
