The 7 p.m. coordinates from the National Hurricane Center for Tropical Storm Cindy, located about 250 miles south-southeast of Morgan City, LA, and 350 miles southeast of Galveston, TX, Cindy is stationary, packing winds of 45 mph with a minimum pressure of 997 mb.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for San Luis Pass to the mouth of the Pearl River. A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case within the next 24 to 36 hours.

Interests elsewhere along the U.S. Gulf Coast from the central Texas coast to the western Florida Panhandle should monitor the progress of this system.

At 7 p.m., the center of Tropical Storm Cindy was located near latitude 26.2 North, longitude 90.3 West. Cindy has been nearly stationary for the past several hours, but a northwestward motion is expected to resume tonight and continue through Wednesday. A turn toward the north-northwest and then toward the north is expected Wednesday night and early Thursday.

On the forecast track, the center of Cindy will approach the coast of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas late Wednesday and Wednesday night, and move inland over southeastern Texas on Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 km/h) with higher gusts. Some slight strengthening is expected during the next 24 hours.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles (335 km) from the center, mainly to the north and east of the center.

The next update is at 10 p.m.

Get the FOX 8 Weather app here.</s>MIAMI — Forecasters say a tropical storm warning has now been extended further westward for a disturbance in the central Gulf. It now covers an area from High Island, Texas, to the mouth of the Pearl River between Louisiana and Mississippi.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the biggest threat from the disturbance is the likely heavy rainfall over wide areas of the northern rim of the Gulf of Mexico.

CBS Miami reports the storm will likely be upgraded to Tropical Storm Cindy before it makes landfall.

Forecasters say the Alabama and Mississippi coasts could be inundated with as much as 15 inches of rain from the tropical storm. The heaviest rains are expected in an area that includes the port city of Mobile, Alabama, and the cities of Pascagoula and Biloxi in Mississippi.

On Tuesday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared a statewide State of Emergency in anticipation of severe weather moving through the area.

The NWS says disturbance No. 3 is centered about 265 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana – or about 355 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. It’s maximum sustained winds are at 40 mph and the storm is moving toward the northwest at 10 mph.

The tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere in the warning area in the next 24 to 36 hours.

A tropical storm watch is also in effect on the upper Texas coast from west of High Island to San Luis Pass.</s>The 4 p.m. coordinates from the National Hurricane Center for Tropical Storm Cindy, located about 280 miles south of Morgan City, LA, and 360 miles southeast of Galveston, TX, Cindy is stationary, packing winds of 45 mph with a minimum pressure of 999 mb.

Watch FOX 8 New now for live regional coverage of Tropical Storm Cindy.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the entire SE Louisiana coastline. This means we are expecting sustained winds around 40 mph or greater in 36 hours or less.

The biggest threat to our region is the potential for heavy rain. A flash flood watch is in effect until Thursday. Widespread rain totals of 4 to 8 inches are possible with some areas receiving in excess of 10 inches.

Coastal flooding from high tides and storm surge will also be possible outside the risk reduction system.

Get the FOX 8 Weather app here.</s>A disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico is getting better organized and will likely become Tropical Storm Cindy at some point Tuesday. Locally, we will see an enhanced risk of showers and storms through midweek with occasionally heavy downpours as the storm funnels tropical moisture in our direction. However, a direct impact is not expected for the Coastal Empire or Lowcountry with the center expected to track near the Texas/Louisiana border.

Maximum winds were 40 mph early Tuesday morning, which does meet tropical storm strength criteria. However, with thunderstorms disorganized around the center of the storm and the area of maximum winds spread out from the center, the storm has not quite developed the structure more typical of a tropical storm. Despite that, Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings have already been issued along the Gulf Coast for parts of Louisiana to Alabama.</s>Forecasters expanded a Tropical Storm Warning Tuesday to include part of the upper Texas coast as Tropical Storm Cindy churns in the Gulf of Mexico.

The tropical storm formed Tuesday afternoon. The Warning now covers an area from High Island in Texas to the mouth of the Pearl River between Louisiana and Mississippi.

A tropical storm watch is also in effect on the upper Texas coast from west of High Island to San Luis Pass.

The National Weather Service also says the biggest threat from the disturbance is the likely rain over vast areas of the northern rim of the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm was centered about 265 miles south of Morgan City, La., or about 355 miles southeast of Galveston.

Cindy has top sustained winds of 45 mph, and the storm was stationary in the Gulf Tuesday afternoon. Forecasters say Cindy acquired a well-defined center on Tuesday afternoon and became the third tropical storm of 2017.

Forecasters say Cindy is expected to reach the Louisiana coast sometime late Wednesday and then move inland to western Louisiana and eastern Texas on Thursday.

Forecasters say rain totaling 6 to 9 inches in areas and as much as 12 inches in some spots pose a threat to southern portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday.

Coastal residents were already feeling the effects of the system Tuesday. Police say residents reported flooding on Dauphin Island south of Mobile, Ala. Water partially covered the main road leading to the island’s narrow western end, and the city is moving vehicles and equipment to higher ground.

Red flags were flying on the main public beach in Gulf Shores, Ala., as a warning for people to stay out of the water. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency Tuesday morning because of the flooding threat. Bands of heavy rain are coming through as far east as the Florida Panhandle.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Tropical Storm Bret was moving along South America’s northern coast with maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with weakening expected to begin later in the day.</s>MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Potential Tropical Cyclone #3 in the Gulf of Mexico will likely become Tropical Storm Cindy.

At 5 a.m., the center of the disturbance was about 305 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were 40 mph as it moved to the northwest at 8 mph.

On the forecast track, the disturbance is expected to be near the Louisiana coast late Wednesday or Wednesday night. Some slight strengthening is possible before the system reaches the coast.

A Tropical Storm Warning is now in effect from Cameron, Louisiana to Intracoastal City.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for west of Cameron to High Island.

Residents along the U.S. Gulf Coast from the central Texas coast to the western Florida Panhandle are being urged to keep an eye on this storm.

Tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the coast within the warning area by this afternoon. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area on Wednesday.

The disturbance is expected to produce up to 8 inches of rain, with isolated maximum amounts of

 10 inches, over southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday morning. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 6 inches can be expected farther west across southwest Louisiana into southeast Texas through Thursday morning.

A tornado or two is possible this afternoon and tonight from south-central Louisiana to the western Florida Panhandle.
• Click here for ways to prepare yourself for an impending storm from our Hurricane Preps page
• Click here for latest news surrounding hurricanes and the National Hurricane Center
• Click here to see all of the latest maps when a storm forms in the Atlantic
• Click here to download the CBS4 2017 Hurricane Guide (English)</s>00:38 Dorian Leaves Colder Waters in its Wake Dorian leaves behind colder waters, meteorologist Danielle Banks explains.

At a Glance Tropical Storm Bret formed on June 19 in the open Atlantic Ocean.

Bret brought very heavy rain to Trinidad and Tobago and northern Venezuela. Tropical Storm Bret was a short-lived, but historic tropical storm that caused damage in the southern Caribbean Sea.

(MORE: Hurricane Season Outlook | Hurricane Central )

A robust tropical wave crossed the southern Atlantic from the African coast to near South America during the second week in June. As the wave approached the southernmost Windward Islands, the wave gained enough organization to be called a Tropical Storm.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/bret_recap_track.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/bret_recap_track.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/bret_recap_track.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Track history for Tropical Storm Bret in June, 2017.

There were reports of damaged roofs on the islands of Trinidad, Tobago and Grenada on June 19 and some flooding occurred in southern Trinidad. Tropical storm conditions did not last long on these islands, but the flooding stuck around.

Flooding was reported across Trinidad well after Bret moved westward into the southern Caribbean Sea.

Bret attained maximum sustained winds of 45 mph after passing over Trinidad on June 20 before weakening.

As Bret moved westward into the southern Caribbean Sea, atmospheric conditions became unfavorable for thunderstorm activity near the tropical storm. Strong winds aloft pushed cloud tops north and eastward away from Bret's core.

Just a day after the formation of a well-defined center, Bret was unable to support robust thunderstorms and the system opened up into a tropical wave.

Historical Tidbits

Bret formed in a portion of the Atlantic Basin that is an unusual spot for tropical development for June, and at a very low latitude for any time of the season.

Bret was an outlier that is only joined by a few tropical systems that have formed in June in the open Atlantic. Tropical development in the open Atlantic only happens about once per decade in June.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/trop-origins-jun-with-bret2.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/trop-origins-jun-with-bret2.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/trop-origins-jun-with-bret2.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Each red dot shows the origin point of a storm in the Atlantic during June since 1950. Notice that Bret is far removed from the typical northwest Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico breeding ground.

Typically in June, tropical systems form in the western Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico where conditions are more suitable for tropical development.

(MORE: Strange Atlantic Tropics in 2017: Early Start and an Unusual Location for Formation )

Bret was also historical in that it was the first system to garner tropical storm warnings before becoming a tropical cyclone. The National Hurricane Center was given the ability to declare some tropical systems 'potential tropical cyclones' when they are forecast to bring tropical storm conditions to land.

Tropical storm watches and warnings were issued for parts of the Windward Islands, northern Venezuela and for Trinidad and Tobago before Bret became a tropical storm.

A cyclone is a general name for any low-pressure system in the world.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Life and Landfall of Hurricane Hermine: Africa to North Atlantic</s>Lower Jefferson Parish is taking precautions Tuesday as tropical weather moves into the area. There are concerns in Grand Isle as officials worked through the night to put rocks along the beach to protect the community.

Lower Jefferson Parish is taking precautions Tuesday as tropical weather moves into the area. There are concerns in Grand Isle as officials worked through the night to put rocks along the beach to protect the community.

Local parish leaders already taking steps to prepare for the potential of flooding from Tropical Storm Cindy

Local parish leaders already taking steps to prepare for the potential of flooding from Tropical Storm Cindy

Landrieu: New Orleanians should 'expect the unexpected'

Landrieu: New Orleanians should 'expect the unexpected'

Residents and officials along a stretch of the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle to eastern Texas are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Cindy.

Residents and officials along a stretch of the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle to eastern Texas are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Cindy.

Tropical Storm Cindy is expected to make landfall in Louisiana or Texas. (Source: NHC)

(RNN) - People along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida are bracing for possible impacts of Tropical Storm Cindy.

The storm, located 170 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, LA, strengthened overnight and now has maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center have issued Tropical Storm Warnings for San Luis Pass, TX, to the Alabama-Florida border, including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.

Even though the tropical storm is expected to make landfall Wednesday night or Thursday morning along the southwest Louisiana or southeast Texas coast, its effects will be felt along a long swath of the coast.

Cindy is expected to produce rainfall totals of 6 to 9 inches from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle with some spots getting as much as 12 inches of rain. Life-threatening flash flooding may occur.

The storm also will likely bring strong wind over the eastern part of the warning area, storm surge of 1 to 3 feet and some tornadoes.</s>The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Cindy is heading toward the northern Gulf coast, where it is expected to make landfall in the coming hours.

The center said in an update at 1 p.m. CDT Wednesday that the storm was centered about 170 miles (270 kilometers) southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana — or roughly the same distance southeast of Galveston, Texas. Its sustained winds continue to top out at 50 mph (85 kph) and it’s moving closer to the coast at a rate of 9 mph (14 kph).

Forecasters say the storm is nearing the coast along a stretch between southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana. They add that little change in strength is expected before landfall but that it will weekend once it moves inland on Thursday.

Heavy rains associated with the storm are raising the possibility of life-threatening flash floods over a wide area of the coast.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is urging his state’s residents to take Tropical Storm Cindy seriously.

As of midday Wednesday, there were no reports of serious home or business flooding in Louisiana. But, at a news conference, Edwards noted that two unnamed storms slammed Louisiana last year with heavy flood devastation.

Strong rain bands from Cindy continued to sweep across the Gulf Coast. And authorities said dangers from flash floods, severe storms and possible tornadoes remained a danger. Edwards declared a state of emergency early Wednesday. And Plaquemines Parish on the southeast Louisiana coast declared an emergency at midday.

Cindy was expected to make landfall near the Louisiana-Texas state line Thursday.

Tropical Storm Cindy is pumping seawater into an area of the Mississippi-Louisiana coast that’s vulnerable to storm tide flooding.

Tides on Wednesday morning were 4 feet (1.2 meters) above normal in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and 5 feet (1.5 meters) above normal farther southwest, at Shell Beach, on Louisiana’s coast.

Bay St. Louis is in Hancock County, where Emergency Management Director Brian Adam says officials counted 355 roads with standing water early Wednesday. The low-lying southern half of the county is interlaced with inlets, bayous, rivers and canals. The county faces frequent tidal flooding. Adam says it happens five to 10 times a year.

Adam says he’s received no reports of flooded homes. Many homes in the county are elevated on stilts.

Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Cindy have caused flooding in low-lying areas along the Alabama coast.

Some roads were covered with water in the seafood village of Bayou La Batre, but Becca Caldemeyer still managed to get to her bait shop at the city dock. If only there were more customers, she said.

“It’s pretty quiet,” Caldemeyer said in a telephone interview from Rough Water Bait and Tackle. “Nobody can cast a shrimp out in this kind of wind.”

Police said streets were flooded on the barrier island of Dauphin Island, and the city closed beaches because of dangerously rough surf. Double red flags flew in Gulf Shores to warn people to stay out of the waves, yet live video feeds showed a few people still on the beach despite rain showers and high winds.

Baldwin and Mobile counties canceled summer classes because of the storm. Heavy rains fell as far north as central Alabama, and forecasters said the area could receive as much as 5 inches (120 millimeters) of rain.

Rain has slackened along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast after an overnight drenching, but not before a waterspout came ashore in Biloxi, causing minor damage.

Harrison County Emergency Management Director Rupert Lacy says the waterspout made landfall around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, causing damage to fences, trees and power lines. No one was hurt. One large live oak branch was downed on the grounds of Beauvoir, the historic home that once belonged to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport has reported more than 7 inches (180 mms) of rain since Tuesday morning.

Mississippi officials reported standing water on hundreds of roads after heavy rains, but Lacy says some flash flooding is receding for now, and no buildings have yet been reported as flooding. Coastal rivers are expected to leap their banks, though, as water runs off.

Forecasters say a slightly weakened Tropical Storm Cindy is threatening heavy rains and life-threatening flash flooding over a wide area of the northern Gulf Coast.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Cindy was located at 10 a.m. CDT Wednesday about 170 miles (270 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana — or about 180 miles (285 kilometers) southeast of Galveston, Texas. The storm has top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and is moving toward the northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).

Forecasters say a tropical storm warning has been discontinued for the greater New Orleans area and other areas north and east of the mouth of the Mississippi River. But the tropical storm warning remains in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi to San Luis Pass, Texas. Forecasters say the storm is expected to reach the coast of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas later Wednesday before moving inland.

Heavy rains are expected in southeast Texas, Louisiana, and southern areas of Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle through Thursday.

John Rickmon, a real estate broker in Pensacola, Florida, said he has been touring properties in the Panhandle area to see if they’ve been affected by rains from the tropical storm in the Gulf. He says some streets had water bubbling up from manhole covers.

“There’s nowhere for the water to go, so we’re seeing lots of ponding and lots of retention ponds that are right on the tipping point,” d Rickmon said. “We were saturated before this even started … I’m a bit concerned about what the next 24 hours will bring.”

Rickmon said he keeps a rain gauge at his house and it had already registered 8.5 inches (22 centimeters) before the most intense rains began.

Nearby, the National Park Service reported the bridge between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach was closed because of flooding.

Elsewhere in the Florida Panhandle, an emergency official reported downed trees and other damage — but no injuries — from severe weather caused by a passing storm cell. Okaloosa County Emergency Management spokesman Rob Brown said the damage was reported at several points in and around Fort Walton Beach in the county — but none of it was major structural damage.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Cindy’s landfall.

The governor’s spokesman Richard Carbo said Edwards signed the statewide declaration Wednesday morning.

The storm is moving closer to the Gulf Coast, where it threatens to bring a storm surge of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters).

Wednesday morning, the storm was centered about 165 miles (265 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, and is moving northwest near 8 mph (13 kph).

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Cindy is expected to approach the coast of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas late Wednesday or Wednesday night and move inland Thursday.

Much of Florida’s Panhandle remains under a tornado watch as Tropical Storm Cindy looms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Officials in Santa Rosa County, which is just east of Pensacola, tweeted that some roads were under water early Wednesday. They urged motorists to use caution if they are driving in the southern end of the county.

News outlets also reported several roads in neighboring Escambia County have been closed due to flooding.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for much of the region until 10 a.m. Wednesday. Forecasters say the area can expect heavy rain through Thursday as the tropical storm moves through Louisiana and Texas.

Tropical Storm Cindy is creating the threat of tornadoes along the northern Gulf Coast.

The National Weather Service says flash flooding from torrential rain is the main problem associated with the storm, but twisters are also possible.

Forecasters issued tornado warnings for the areas around Fort Walton Beach and Indian Pass in Florida after radar indicated possible tornadoes Wednesday morning.

A tornado watch covered the entire coast from southwestern Louisiana to near the Big Bend region of Florida.

Alabama’s main beaches are mostly empty as Cindy blows offshore, and Baldwin and Mobile counties canceled summer classes because of the storm.

Tropical Storm Cindy is moving closer to the Gulf Coast, where it threatens to bring a storm surge of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters).

As of 7 a.m. CDT Wednesday, the storm was centered about 165 miles (265 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, and is moving northwest near 8 mph (13 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Cindy is expected to approach the coast of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas late Wednesday or Wednesday night and move inland Thursday.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (96 kph).

The National Weather Service said early Wednesday that flash flood watches covered parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

Forecasters in Louisiana say Tropical Storm Cindy will bring the potential for a storm surge of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters) along the Gulf Coast.

The National Weather Service said early Wednesday that flash flood watches covered parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia as the storm trudged closer to the U.S. mainland.

The weather service has warned that the storm brings the threat of “life-threatening flash flooding.”

Rain bands began pushing ashore Tuesday even before the system reached tropical storm strength. It was stationary much of the day Tuesday but was on a lumbering track that would take its center toward southwestern Louisiana and eastern Texas by Wednesday morning.

But the heavy rains were on its east side, meaning the major rain threat stretched from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Residents and officials along a stretch of the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle to eastern Texas are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Cindy.

The storm formed Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s expected to move slowly toward the Louisiana-Texas line. But the heaviest rain bands were to the east. And the National Weather Service says it poses a threat of dangerous flash flooding.

Forecasters say some areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida could see a foot of rain.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency Tuesday because of the threat of torrential dangerous high tides and rip currents. Other state and local officials along the coast were mulling similar declarations.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Cindy is heading toward the northern Gulf coast, where it is expected to make landfall in the coming hours.

The center said in an update at 1 p.m. CDT Wednesday that the storm was centered about 170 miles (270 kilometers) southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana — or roughly the same distance southeast of Galveston, Texas. Its sustained winds continue to top out at 50 mph (85 kph) and it’s moving closer to the coast at a rate of 9 mph (14 kph).

Forecasters say the storm is nearing the coast along a stretch between southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana. They add that little change in strength is expected before landfall but that it will weekend once it moves inland on Thursday.

Heavy rains associated with the storm are raising the possibility of life-threatening flash floods over a wide area of the coast.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is urging his state’s residents to take Tropical Storm Cindy seriously.

As of midday Wednesday, there were no reports of serious home or business flooding in Louisiana. But, at a news conference, Edwards noted that two unnamed storms slammed Louisiana last year with heavy flood devastation.

Strong rain bands from Cindy continued to sweep across the Gulf Coast. And authorities said dangers from flash floods, severe storms and possible tornadoes remained a danger. Edwards declared a state of emergency early Wednesday. And Plaquemines Parish on the southeast Louisiana coast declared an emergency at midday.

Cindy was expected to make landfall near the Louisiana-Texas state line Thursday.

Tropical Storm Cindy is pumping seawater into an area of the Mississippi-Louisiana coast that’s vulnerable to storm tide flooding.

Tides on Wednesday morning were 4 feet (1.2 meters) above normal in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and 5 feet (1.5 meters) above normal farther southwest, at Shell Beach, on Louisiana’s coast.

Bay St. Louis is in Hancock County, where Emergency Management Director Brian Adam says officials counted 355 roads with standing water early Wednesday. The low-lying southern half of the county is interlaced with inlets, bayous, rivers and canals. The county faces frequent tidal flooding. Adam says it happens five to 10 times a year.

Adam says he’s received no reports of flooded homes. Many homes in the county are elevated on stilts.

Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Cindy have caused flooding in low-lying areas along the Alabama coast.

Some roads were covered with water in the seafood village of Bayou La Batre, but Becca Caldemeyer still managed to get to her bait shop at the city dock. If only there were more customers, she said.

“It’s pretty quiet,” Caldemeyer said in a telephone interview from Rough Water Bait and Tackle. “Nobody can cast a shrimp out in this kind of wind.”

Police said streets were flooded on the barrier island of Dauphin Island, and the city closed beaches because of dangerously rough surf. Double red flags flew in Gulf Shores to warn people to stay out of the waves, yet live video feeds showed a few people still on the beach despite rain showers and high winds.

Baldwin and Mobile counties canceled summer classes because of the storm. Heavy rains fell as far north as central Alabama, and forecasters said the area could receive as much as 5 inches (120 millimeters) of rain.

Rain has slackened along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast after an overnight drenching, but not before a waterspout came ashore in Biloxi, causing minor damage.

Harrison County Emergency Management Director Rupert Lacy says the waterspout made landfall around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, causing damage to fences, trees and power lines. No one was hurt. One large live oak branch was downed on the grounds of Beauvoir, the historic home that once belonged to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport has reported more than 7 inches (180 mms) of rain since Tuesday morning.

Mississippi officials reported standing water on hundreds of roads after heavy rains, but Lacy says some flash flooding is receding for now, and no buildings have yet been reported as flooding. Coastal rivers are expected to leap their banks, though, as water runs off.

Forecasters say a slightly weakened Tropical Storm Cindy is threatening heavy rains and life-threatening flash flooding over a wide area of the northern Gulf Coast.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Cindy was located at 10 a.m. CDT Wednesday about 170 miles (270 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana — or about 180 miles (285 kilometers) southeast of Galveston, Texas. The storm has top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and is moving toward the northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).

Forecasters say a tropical storm warning has been discontinued for the greater New Orleans area and other areas north and east of the mouth of the Mississippi River. But the tropical storm warning remains in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi to San Luis Pass, Texas. Forecasters say the storm is expected to reach the coast of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas later Wednesday before moving inland.

Heavy rains are expected in southeast Texas, Louisiana, and southern areas of Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle through Thursday.

John Rickmon, a real estate broker in Pensacola, Florida, said he has been touring properties in the Panhandle area to see if they’ve been affected by rains from the tropical storm in the Gulf. He says some streets had water bubbling up from manhole covers.

“There’s nowhere for the water to go, so we’re seeing lots of ponding and lots of retention ponds that are right on the tipping point,” d Rickmon said. “We were saturated before this even started … I’m a bit concerned about what the next 24 hours will bring.”

Rickmon said he keeps a rain gauge at his house and it had already registered 8.5 inches (22 centimeters) before the most intense rains began.

Nearby, the National Park Service reported the bridge between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach was closed because of flooding.

Elsewhere in the Florida Panhandle, an emergency official reported downed trees and other damage — but no injuries — from severe weather caused by a passing storm cell. Okaloosa County Emergency Management spokesman Rob Brown said the damage was reported at several points in and around Fort Walton Beach in the county — but none of it was major structural damage.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Cindy’s landfall.

The governor’s spokesman Richard Carbo said Edwards signed the statewide declaration Wednesday morning.

The storm is moving closer to the Gulf Coast, where it threatens to bring a storm surge of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters).

Wednesday morning, the storm was centered about 165 miles (265 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, and is moving northwest near 8 mph (13 kph).

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Cindy is expected to approach the coast of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas late Wednesday or Wednesday night and move inland Thursday.

Much of Florida’s Panhandle remains under a tornado watch as Tropical Storm Cindy looms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Officials in Santa Rosa County, which is just east of Pensacola, tweeted that some roads were under water early Wednesday. They urged motorists to use caution if they are driving in the southern end of the county.

News outlets also reported several roads in neighboring Escambia County have been closed due to flooding.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for much of the region until 10 a.m. Wednesday. Forecasters say the area can expect heavy rain through Thursday as the tropical storm moves through Louisiana and Texas.

Tropical Storm Cindy is creating the threat of tornadoes along the northern Gulf Coast.

The National Weather Service says flash flooding from torrential rain is the main problem associated with the storm, but twisters are also possible.

Forecasters issued tornado warnings for the areas around Fort Walton Beach and Indian Pass in Florida after radar indicated possible tornadoes Wednesday morning.

A tornado watch covered the entire coast from southwestern Louisiana to near the Big Bend region of Florida.

Alabama’s main beaches are mostly empty as Cindy blows offshore, and Baldwin and Mobile counties canceled summer classes because of the storm.

Tropical Storm Cindy is moving closer to the Gulf Coast, where it threatens to bring a storm surge of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters).

As of 7 a.m. CDT Wednesday, the storm was centered about 165 miles (265 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, and is moving northwest near 8 mph (13 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Cindy is expected to approach the coast of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas late Wednesday or Wednesday night and move inland Thursday.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (96 kph).

The National Weather Service said early Wednesday that flash flood watches covered parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

Forecasters in Louisiana say Tropical Storm Cindy will bring the potential for a storm surge of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters) along the Gulf Coast.

The National Weather Service said early Wednesday that flash flood watches covered parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia as the storm trudged closer to the U.S. mainland.

The weather service has warned that the storm brings the threat of “life-threatening flash flooding.”

Rain bands began pushing ashore Tuesday even before the system reached tropical storm strength. It was stationary much of the day Tuesday but was on a lumbering track that would take its center toward southwestern Louisiana and eastern Texas by Wednesday morning.

But the heavy rains were on its east side, meaning the major rain threat stretched from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Residents and officials along a stretch of the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle to eastern Texas are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Cindy.

The storm formed Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s expected to move slowly toward the Louisiana-Texas line. But the heaviest rain bands were to the east. And the National Weather Service says it poses a threat of dangerous flash flooding.

Forecasters say some areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida could see a foot of rain.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency Tuesday because of the threat of torrential dangerous high tides and rip currents. Other state and local officials along the coast were mulling similar declarations.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Tropical Storm Cindy makes its way towards the eastern coasts of the Southern United States.