Wednesday and was moving north near 2 mph (4 kph).

Heavy rainfall was expected across much of Florida. Eric Blake of the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning that the system will likely dump around 5 inches of rain on areas of central and north Florida as it approaches the state Thursday. Some areas could see up to 15 inches of rain.

Lonka, of the National Weather Service, said the storm in the Gulf was forecast to move across northern Florida later this week toward the Atlantic. But he said it’s likely to stay south of North Carolina. Still, he cautioned its path was difficult to predict days in advance.

At Ride The Wind Surf Shop on Ocracoke Island, owner Bob Chestnut said he canceled all of his kayak tours andfounded Hennessy cognac in 1765 before moving to France.

Maurice spent his childhood years in the Cognac region of France. He is the eighth generation of the prestigious family. His father had no desire to follow others in the family and instead preferred the sciences. After an internship at Hennessy with his grandfather, Maurice knew his destiny, as long as he could be a farmer too. “I wanted to raise cattle,” shared Maurice with me. “The sweet smell of a dairy farm entices me.” Instead of cattle, he grows grapes and is a supplier to Hennessy. “I’m one of the 1,700 suppliers from various farms that provide various vintages to Hennessy.”

The United States is a big Hennessy market and then there is Asia. When Maurice travels to different clients,