Tropical storm Debby to bring heavy rain to Florida

After raking the US States of Florida's Gulf coast with high winds and heavy rain Monday, Tropical Storm Debby promised to bring more of the same in the coming days as it continued to hover in the Gulf of Mexico, in no apparent hurry to make landfall. The National Hurricane Center said early Tuesday that Debby was about 90 miles west of Cedar Key and moving eastward at 4 mph. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, barely tropical-storm status. Still, the storm had made its presence felt Monday. Roads were washed out. Residents tried to salvage belongings from flooded homes in low-lying areas. At one point Monday, high winds and flooding concerns prompted authorities to close two major routes. Before nightfall Monday, Debbie had dumped more than a foot of rain on some parts over the previous 96 hours. And forecasters were expecting the rains to continue, bringing another 6 to 12 inches across northern Florida and 4 to 8 inches more to central Florida. The knot of low pressure has lingered over the Gulf of Mexico since Sunday evening, bringing a constant barrage of wind and rain. State officials said that at least 35,000 homes and businesses have had power knocked out by the extreme weather. One woman died on Sunday after the storm whipped up tornadoes, and crews in Alabama are meanwhile continuing their search for a South Carolina man missing off the coast.