TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Tropical Storm Colin formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and was on a course to hit Florida today with rains that forecasters said could cause serious flooding along much of the state's Gulf Coast.
A large portion of Florida's western and Panhandle coast was already under a tropical storm warning when the National Hurricane Center announced that a quickly moving depression had become a named storm. The center said it is the earliest that a third named storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin.
It is the latest in a series of severe weather events across the country, from record-breaking heat in the West and flooding in Texas to storms that are expected to cause problems in the nation's capital and mid-Atlantic region.
Colin was moving at about 12 mph and was about 450 miles southwest of Tampa on Sunday night. Tropical storms carry wind speeds of between 39 mph and 73 mph.
"It's going to impact most of the state in some way," Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a phone interview. "Hopefully we won't have any significant issues here, but we can have some storm surge, some rain, tornadoes and some flooding."
Scott postponed a political meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump scheduled for today in New York so he can remain in the state capital to monitor the weather.
Colin was expected to bring dangerous rainfall levels, and residents were warned about possible flooding and hazardous driving conditions. Rain began falling in the Tampa Bay area just after noon Sunday.
Colin is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches with up to 8 inches possible in western Florida, eastern Georgia, and coastal areas of the Carolinas through Tuesday, forecasters said Sunday.
Scott warned residents not to simply look at the center of the storm, saying the heaviest rain will be to the east and west of it.
The National Weather Service in Mobile, Ala., issued a flood warning for the Shoal River near Crestview, Fla., and warned of possible widespread flooding in streams, creeks, and canals. Wind gusts threatened to bring down trees and branches and cause power failures.
The Georgia coast and the north Florida Atlantic coast were placed under a tropical storm watch Sunday evening.
Sandbags were being distributed to residents in St. Petersburg, Tampa and nearby cities.
"We're surrounded on three sides by water," said Pinellas County spokesman Nick Zoller, who said the county distributed 3,300 sandbags on Saturday, a number he expected to go up now that a tropical storm warning is in effect.
Just to the north, Pasco County Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie said the message is to be prepared.
"We are going to flood in parts of Pasco County," Guthrie said in an email.
Texas gets a break
Texas began drying out Sunday from drenching storms that caused deadly floodwaters during an Army training exercise at Fort Hood, set rainfall records in Austin and left one soggy coastal county expanding evacuation orders despite showers slowing to a sprinkle.
Forecasts showed Texas was finally catching a break in the weather, but emergency officials near Houston still couldn't catch their breath Sunday as they ordered more Brazoria County residents to leave their homes near the swollen Brazos River.
At least 2,000 homes have been affected by evacuation orders around Rosharon, about 30 miles southeast of Houston, county spokesman Sharon Trower said. The river appeared to have finally crested at more than 52 feet but was expected to remain at high flood stages for several more days.
"Sprinkles are not as bad as downpours but it does affect our areas because water has nowhere to go but up and out," Trower said. "It's continuing to spread across the flood plain."
The small community of Bailey's Prairie was the latest area to be included in evacuation orders. Trower said despite the lurking danger to homes there were no reports of injuries or people missing.
More than a foot of rain soaked parts of Texas over the past two weeks. The downpours filled a usually dry creek at Fort Hood with fast-moving floodwaters that killed nine soldiers on Thursday and broke a 50-year-old rainfall record for May at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.
Fort Hood officials have identified the last of nine soldiers who died in the floodwaters as a 25-year-old Army specialist from California.
Army officials on Sunday said Spc. Yingming Sun enlisted in 2013 and first arrived at Fort Hood nearly two years ago. He and eight others who were previously identified died when fast-moving waters washed a 2½-ton vehicle from a low-water crossing.
Three others soldiers survived and have returned to duty.
Hot and dry weather that is normal for June in Texas is expected to return in this week, according to the National Weather Service.
In the mid-Atlantic region, the National Weather Service warned of an "enhanced" risk of severe storms with possible damaging winds.
Sterling, Va.-based meteorologist Chris Strong said the primary threat in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area was from damaging wind, and there was a lesser threat for tornadoes.
Wakefield, Va.-based meteorologist Lyle Alexander said the threat on the Eastern Shore is from winds and more localized heavy rain.
The weather service warned that heavy rain in central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley could mean flooding in areas that received rain Saturday, and they issued flash flood watches for some areas.
In New York City, the last day of a music festival that was to include performances by Kanye West and Death Cab for Cutie was canceled because of weather.
Governors Ball organizers said Sunday events were canceled because of severe weather. Strong winds and thunderstorms were predicted through Sunday night.
The annual event is held on Randall's Island in New York City and goes for three days. Among those who performed Friday and Saturday were Elle King, the Strokes, Beck, Miguel and De La Soul.
Much of southern Arizona, from Phoenix to Nogales, was under an excessive heat warning Sunday.
The National Weather Service said Phoenix hit 113 degrees on Sunday, marking the third day in a row setting record high temperatures in Arizona's urban heart.
Other Western and Southwestern U.S. states were experiencing above-normal temperatures.
Officials warned residents to stay hydrated and avoid the outdoors between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when temperatures are highest.
In eastern Indiana, the National Weather Service said a tornado touched down when a weekend storm passed over the area.
The weather service's Wilmington, Ohio, office said Sunday that a tornado with wind speeds of up to 85 mph cut a 1¼-mile path Saturday near Richmond, Ind. No one was injured by the EF0 tornado, which is the weakest tornado designation the weather service assigns.
Information for this article was contributed by Brendan Farrington, Paul J. Weber and staff members of The Associated Press.
A Section on 06/06/2016