Tropical Storm Colin Nears Florida as State of Emergency Declared

ByMICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN ABCNews logo
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
This NOAA satellite image taken, June 6, 2016, at 12:45 a.m. EDT shows Tropical Storm Colin continuing to move due north over eastern portions of the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the outer rain bands have also begun moving over the western Florida shoreline as the tropical storm continues to move northward.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in advance of Tropical Storm Colin's hitting the state, and residents are preparing for serious flooding throughout the Gulf Coast region.

Colin, which is gaining in speed and strength as it travels in a northeasterly direction, has become the third named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The NHC said it expected the storm to move across portions of Florida and southeastern Georgia early Tuesday morning.

Flooding and other possible effects of climate change have become a critical issue for Floridians in recent years. As sea levels rise and storms intensify, cities flood more often.

Colin is expected to produce 3 to 5 inches of rainfall, with isolated maximums of 8 inches, according to the NHC.

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