Tropical Storm Debby crawls offshore in Gulf Last Updated 8:14 a.m. (CBS/AP) MIAMI - A tropical storm warning for Alabama's Gulf Coast to the Florida Panhandle has been issued ahead of a strengthening Tropical Storm Debby. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Debby was located about 170 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River at 8 a.m. EDT Sunday. It said the tropical storm warning has now been issued from the Mississippi-Alabama border eastward to the Florida Panhandle's Ochlockonee River. The Miami forecasters add that Debby's top sustained winds have risen in recent hours from 50 mph to about 60 mph. The storm was moving north at 2 mph. Although a forecast track was still uncertain, the hurricane center said people from Texas to Florida should remain alert to Debby's movements. forecasters warned the system could begin strengthening and produce near hurricane force winds in coming days. Amid an ongoing threat of torrential downpours from Debby, authorities warned of the possibility of flooding and strong winds from Texas to Florida. At least one tornado linked to the storm touched down Saturday in southwest Florida, but no injuries were reported. Heavy squalls pounded parts of that state. The center of Debby was expected to linger in the northern Gulf over the next few days with no landfall in the immediate forecast. Forecasters said Debby could be near hurricane strength by Monday night. Meanwhile, up to six inches of rain along the coast, with isolated amounts of 10 inches were possible. It was the first time four tropical storms have been recorded before July 1 during the Atlantic hurricane season since record keeping began in 1851. Debby forced the suspension of 8 percent of the region's oil and gas production. The government reported that nine production platforms and one drilling rig were evacuated. The suspended crude production amounts to about 2 percent of U.S production and about 0.1 percent of global production. The reduced production is not expected to impact oil prices unless the storm strengthens and forces more production platforms to close. A tropical storm warning was issued for part of the southeast Louisiana coast. Officials there have been monitoring the weather closely for the last several days. Some low-lying areas close to the coast flood easily in rough weather. Near the mouth of the Mississippi southeast of New Orleans, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said officials were making preparations to protect the main highway from tidal flooding.