Tropical Storm Andrea lost strength as it moved inland over northern Florida Thursday in the couple of hours after it made landfall along Florida's Big Bend region, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
As of 8 p.m., the storm was located about 15 miles north-northeast of Cross City and about 45 miles west of Gainesville. It was moving northeast at 15 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.
That was down from the maximum sustained winds of 65 mph that Andrea had when it made landfall in Dixie County, about 10 miles south of Steinhatchee, at 5:40 p.m.
Little further change in strength is expected during the next day or so, the National Hurricane Center said, but Andrea should lose its tropical characteristics by Saturday as it moves through the eastern U.S.
Tornadoes remained possible Thursday night over much of Florida and in coastal areas of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said.
The National Weather Service said three tornadoes touched down in South Florida on Thursday. At 3:20 a.m. a tornado damaged powerlines in Belle Glade. At 6:45 a.m. another in the Acreage injured one person and damaged homes and powerlines. The final one at 8:10 in Broward County, northwest of State Road 27, didn't cause any damage.
A team is going to survey the aftermath of the storm in the Acreage, which caused the most damage.
The weather service said the rain in South Florida, which is at 70 percent chance of rain for the next few days, is from a rain band extending out from Andrea.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the west coast of Florida from Boca Grande to the Steinhatchee River; Flagler Beach, Florida to Cape Charles Light, Virginia; Pamlico and Albemarle sounds; and Lower Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort.
The storm was expected to continue heading northeast at a faster speed for the next 1-2 days. It will move inland over northern Florida and southeast Georgia overnight, and then proceed near the East Coast of the U.S. through Saturday, according to the hurricane center.
Andrea is expected to deliver between 3 and 6 inches of rain over much of the Florida peninsula, eastern parts of the Florida Panhandle, southeastern Georgia and eastern South Carolina, with up to 8 inches possible in some spots.
Andrea, which became the first named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season Wednesday, was not expected to directly impact South Florida, though scattered showers and occasional thunderstorms were possible throughout Thursday.
As the storms track northeast, the weather in South Florida will steadily improve.
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Photo Credit: National Hurricane Center