A week into the official hurricane season and New Jersey is on target to be be affected by Andrea, the first named tropical storm of the season.


The storm, currently in the Gulf of Mexico is headed for Florida's western coast  is expected to bring 2-4 inches of rain to New Jersey starting Thursday night and ending Saturday morning according to the National Weather Service's advisory about the storm. The heaviest of the rain will fall on Friday afternoon into the early evening.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch starting at 6:00 p.m. through late Friday night for the entire state as the heavy rain will cause some localized flash flooding and significant rises to area rivers but they are not expected to overflow their bands.

Wind will not be a big factor in this storm with winds expected to be gusting to 40 MPH when the remnants of Andrea passes off of New Jersey's southeast coast. Minor coastal flooding is possible during Friday night's high tide.

Saturday will have a mix of sun & clouds as Andrea pulls away with the chance of a shower. Sunday will be much better with partly sunny skies and a high in the lower 80s.


Tornadoes In Florida

Tropical Storm Andrea is already generating tornadoes in Florida, with more than a half-dozen confirmed today across the state.

The storm, with top winds of 60 miles an hour, is pelting Florida's Gulf Coast with rain and wind as it moves toward the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he's thankful that it's a fast-moving storm, since it won't have as much time to dump rain and cause flooding.

It's still expected to bring as much as six inches of rain to the Carolinas.

On Cumberland Island off the Georgia coast, the National Park Service has been evacuating campers as the storm approached. Forecasters expect the storm to pass through Georgia tonight, and the island will likely re-open to tourists tomorrow.



The Associated Press contributed to this story

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