Fay on track to hit Florida

Fay on track to hit Florida

State and local headlines continue to be updates about Tropical Storm Fay now poised to hit Florida as a possible hurricane. The sixth tropical storm of the season formed over the Dominican Republic Friday and is crossing Cuba and heading into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Fay is expected to strengthen to a hurricane by the time it approaches the Florida Keys. Fay has already killed at least five people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Fay has the potential to hit Florida as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane, with winds of more than 100 MPH National Hurricane Center forecasters said. They stressed it was too early to tell how intense the storm would become or where it would make landfall. The projected path could be anywhere from Sarasota or Tampa to Cedar Key say forecasters.

Officials in the Keys issued a mandatory evacuation order for visitors on Sunday, and asked tourists who had not yet arrived to postpone their trips. Residents living in low-lying areas and on boats were told to evacuate. School were scheduled to start, but have pushed back the first day until Wednesday.

Governor Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency Saturday as an emergency operations center opened in Tallahassee. He urged Floridians "to remain calm, remain vigilant" and said 9,000 Florida National Guard troops were available to help in an emergency.

Local forecasters say Fay could begin impacting the weather in North Florida as early as Tuesday evening with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Conditions could deteriorate with strong gusty winds, flooding, and isolated tornadoes. The higher wind gusts increase the possibility of tree damage and power outages.