ORLANDO, Fla. - Tropical Storm Gordon is expected to strengthen into a hurricane late Tuesday when it hits the central U.S. Gulf Coast, including coastal Mississippi.

From there, Gordon is forecast to move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley.

Gordon formed into a tropical storm near the Florida Keys early Monday as it lashed the southern part of the state with heavy rains and high winds.

The storm was centered 280 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and was moving west at 17 mph, forecasters said early Tuesday. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 65 mph.

A hurricane warning was put into effect for the area stretching from the mouth of the Pearl River in Mississippi to the Alabama-Florida border.

Closer to home, Gordon will continue to bring some heavy rain into South Florida on Tuesday, with a few lingering showers and storms across the Orlando area.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Florence continues to spin in the open Atlantic. Florence is expected to stay out to sea.

And a tropical wave located a few hundred miles south-southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms.

Gradual development of the system is expected and it could become a tropical depression late this week while it moves west across the eastern tropical Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center is giving the wave a 10 percent chance of further development over the next 48 hours and a 50 percent chance of development over the next five days.

The peak of the hurricane season is Sept. 10.

Expect a 50 percent coverage of showers and storms Tuesday afternoon in Central Florida.

Rain chances drop to 30 percent on Wednesday as Gordon pools drier air in place and sucks some of the moisture away.

Rain chances return to 50 percent by Thursday and jump to 60 percent on Friday.

High temperatures in Orlando will be close to the average of 91 every day this week.

Watch News 6 and stay with ClickOrlando.com for updates. </s> The National Hurricane Center’s forecast tracker and satellite loop show Tropical Storm Gordon as it forms over Florida and threatens other southeastern states.

Gordon is expected to strengthen into a hurricane late Tuesday when it hits the central U.S. Gulf Coast, including coastal Mississippi. From there, it is forecast to move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.

Gordon formed into a tropical storm near the Florida Keys early Monday as it lashed the southern part of the state with heavy rains and high winds.

The storm was centered 280 miles (450 kilometers) east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, forecasters said early Tuesday morning. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 65 mph (100 kph).

A hurricane warning was put into effect for the area stretching from the mouth of the Pearl River in Mississippi to the Alabama-Florida border.

Copyright 2018 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> A strengthened Tropical Storm Gordon is expected to hit the Gulf Coast as a hurricane late Tuesday, a day after pounding South Florida with heavy rain and strong winds.

The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning from the mouth of the Pearl River, which separates southern Mississippi from the easternmost part of Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border.

Gordon formed into a tropical storm near the Florida Keys early Monday as it headed west-northwest at 17 mph. After hitting the Gulf Coast as an expected hurricane, it is forecast to move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.

Parts of the Gulf Coast could get up to eight inches of rain through Thursday.

The storm was centered 280 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, forecasters said early Tuesday morning. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 65 mph.

The National Hurricane Center also issued a storm surge warning, meaning possible "danger of life-threatening inundation,'' for late Tuesday for the area stretching from Shell Beach, Louisiana, to Dauphin Island, Alabama.

“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves,” the center said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Monday and said 200 National Guard troops will be deployed to the southeastern part of the state.

This Sept. 3, 2018, map from the National Hurricane Center showed the projected path for Tropical Storm Gordon as of Sunday evening. </s> After pounding South Florida with heavy rain and strong winds Monday, Tropical Storm Gordon is gaining strength and taking aim at the Gulf Coast.

The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning from the mouth of the Pearl River, which separates southern Mississippi from the easternmost part of Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border.

Gordon formed into a tropical storm near the Florida Keys early Monday as it headed west-northwest at 17 mph. The storm is expected to reach hurricane strength when it hits the Gulf Coast by late Tuesday night. From there, it is forecast to move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.

Rolling past the west coast of Florida, some 95 miles from Fort Myers by 8 p.m. EDT, Gordon had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. The storm is expected to gather strength while making its way through the Gulf of Mexico.

Parts of the Gulf Coast could get up to eight inches of rain through Thursday.

The hurricane center also issued a storm surge warning, meaning possible "danger of life-threatening inundation,'' for late Tuesday for the area stretching from Shell Beach, Louisiana, to Dauphin Island, Alabama.

“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves,” the center said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Monday and said 200 National Guard troops will be deployed to the southeastern part of the state.

Although Louisiana lies just outside the hurricane warning area, authorities in New Orleans issued a voluntary evacuation order for areas outside the city’s levee protection system, including the Venetian Isles, Lake Saint Catherine and Irish Bayou areas.

Strong wind gusts, battering waves, above-normal tides, minor coastal flooding, flash flooding and a couple of isolated tornadoes and waterspouts will be the main threats from the storm, AccuWeather said.

Parts of the northern Gulf Coast could see 3-6 inches of rainfall Tuesday into Wednesday, from southeast Louisiana into far southern Mississippi and far southern Alabama, according to the Weather Channel. Localized totals of six inches or more are possible in some areas.

The storm should make landfall with winds of about 60 mph. However, it could still reach hurricane status, which would be 74 mph, AccuWeather said.

"Any strong tropical storm has the potential to strengthen to a hurricane even when that storm may only spend a day or two over warm waters," AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

Miami Beach police said via Twitter that the Labor Day holiday was “NOT a beach day” because of rough surf and potential rip currents. Red flags flew over Pensacola-area beaches in Florida’s Panhandle, where swimming and wading in the Gulf of Mexico were prohibited.

The weather delivered a blow to businesses during the holiday weekend.

Jenna Wright, owner of a coffee shop in Naples, Florida, told the Naples Daily News that she expected higher numbers for the Labor Day weekend.

“This is normally a decent weekend, but the storm and red tide aren’t helping,” Wright said. “We’re a beach coffee shop, and if people can’t go to the beach, then we won’t get any customers.”

Gordon is the seventh named tropical storm or hurricane to form in the Atlantic basin this year.

Tropical Storm Florence continues to spin in the central Atlantic Ocean, about 2,700 miles from Miami. Florence will rotate harmlessly in the central Atlantic this week but could pose a threat to Bermuda and/or the U.S. East Coast in the next six to 12 days, according to Weather Underground meteorologist Bob Henson. </s> MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tropical Storm Gordon is continuing to strengthen and is expected to become a hurricane late Tuesday when it hits the central U.S. Gulf Coast, including coastal Mississippi. From there, it is forecast to move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.

Gordon formed into a tropical storm near the Florida Keys early Monday as it lashed the southern part of the state with heavy rains and high winds.

The storm was centered 280 miles (450 kilometers) east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, forecasters said early Tuesday morning. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 65 mph (100 kph).

A hurricane warning was put into effect for the area stretching from the mouth of the Pearl River in Mississippi to the Alabama-Florida border. As much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain could fall in some parts of the Gulf states through late Thursday.

The Miami-based center said the storm is also expected to bring “life-threatening” storm surge to portions of the central Gulf Coast. A storm surge warning has been issued for the area stretching from Shell Beach, Louisiana, to Dauphin Island, Alabama. The warning means there is danger of life-threatening inundation. The region could see rising waters of 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters).

“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves,” the center said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Monday and said 200 National Guard troops will be deployed to southeastern Louisiana.

The storm’s predicted track had shifted slightly east as of Monday evening, meaning Louisiana is currently just outside the area under the hurricane warning. Still, the southeastern part of the state remains under a tropical storm warning and residents need to be prepared for the storm to shift west, Edwards said.

“This storm has every possibility to track further in our direction,” Edwards said during a news conference Monday evening.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell held an afternoon news conference and said the city has “the pumps and the power” needed to protect residents. But authorities issued a voluntary evacuation order for areas outside the city’s levee protection system, including the Venetian Isles, Lake Saint Catherine and Irish Bayou areas.

Cantrell urged residents within the levee protection area to stock up on supplies and shelter in place.

Miami Beach Police said via Twitter that the Labor Day holiday was “NOT a beach day,” with rough surf and potential rip currents. Red flags flew over Pensacola-area beaches in Florida’s Panhandle, where swimming and wading in the Gulf of Mexico was prohibited. More than 4,000 Florida Power & Light customers lost power Monday due to weather conditions.

The National Weather Service said conditions were “possible” for tornadoes in the affected parts of South Florida on Monday night.

The storm left many businesses on Florida’s Gulf Coast feeling shortchanged by the holiday weekend. The area has already been heavily impacted by this summer’s so-called “red tide”— massive algae blooms that have caused waves of dead marine life to wash up along the coast.

Jenna Wright, owner of a coffee shop in Naples, Florida, told the Naples Daily News that she had expected higher numbers for the Labor Day weekend.

“This is normally a decent weekend, but the storm and red tide aren’t helping,” Wright said. “We’re a beach coffee shop, and if people can’t go to the beach, then we won’t get any customers.”

Separately, Tropical Storm Florence continues to hold steady over the eastern Atlantic. Forecasters say little change in strength is expected in coming days and no coastal watches or warnings are in effect.

Associated Press writer Ben Nadler in Atlanta contributed to this report. </s> MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tropical Storm Gordon is continuing to strengthen and is expected to become a hurricane late Tuesday when it hits the central U.S. Gulf Coast, including coastal Mississippi. From there, it is forecast to move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.

Gordon formed into a tropical storm near the Florida Keys early Monday as it lashed the southern part of the state with heavy rains and high winds.

The storm was centered 280 miles (450 kilometers) east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, forecasters said early Tuesday morning. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 65 mph (100 kph).

A hurricane warning was put into effect for the area stretching from the mouth of the Pearl River in Mississippi to the Alabama-Florida border. As much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain could fall in some parts of the Gulf states through late Thursday.

The Miami-based center said the storm is also expected to bring "life-threatening" storm surge to portions of the central Gulf Coast. A storm surge warning has been issued for the area stretching from Shell Beach, Louisiana, to Dauphin Island, Alabama. The warning means there is danger of life-threatening inundation. The region could see rising waters of 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters).

"The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves," the center said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Monday and said 200 National Guard troops will be deployed to southeastern Louisiana.

The storm's predicted track had shifted slightly east as of Monday evening, meaning Louisiana is currently just outside the area under the hurricane warning. Still, the southeastern part of the state remains under a tropical storm warning and residents need to be prepared for the storm to shift west, Edwards said.

"This storm has every possibility to track further in our direction," Edwards said during a news conference Monday evening.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell held an afternoon news conference and said the city has "the pumps and the power" needed to protect residents. But authorities issued a voluntary evacuation order for areas outside the city's levee protection system, including the Venetian Isles, Lake Saint Catherine and Irish Bayou areas.

Cantrell urged residents within the levee protection area to stock up on supplies and shelter in place.

Miami Beach Police said via Twitter that the Labor Day holiday was "NOT a beach day," with rough surf and potential rip currents. Red flags flew over Pensacola-area beaches in Florida's Panhandle, where swimming and wading in the Gulf of Mexico was prohibited. More than 4,000 Florida Power & Light customers lost power Monday due to weather conditions.

The National Weather Service said conditions were "possible" for tornadoes in the affected parts of South Florida on Monday night.

The storm left many businesses on Florida's Gulf Coast feeling shortchanged by the holiday weekend. The area has already been heavily impacted by this summer's so-called "red tide"— massive algae blooms that have caused waves of dead marine life to wash up along the coast.

Jenna Wright, owner of a coffee shop in Naples, Florida, told the Naples Daily News that she had expected higher numbers for the Labor Day weekend.

"This is normally a decent weekend, but the storm and red tide aren't helping," Wright said. "We're a beach coffee shop, and if people can't go to the beach, then we won't get any customers."

Separately, Tropical Storm Florence continues to hold steady over the eastern Atlantic. Forecasters say little change in strength is expected in coming days and no coastal watches or warnings are in effect.

Associated Press writer Ben Nadler in Atlanta contributed to this report. </s> ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- As Tropical Storm Gordon makes a beeline toward the central Gulf coast, hurricane development isn't out of the question.

National Hurricane Center forecasters peg Gordon as a 65-mph storm moving west-northwest at 65 mph, according to the 5 a.m. Tuesday update. Some gradual strengthening is expected, and it's forecast Gordon will be a low-end, Category 1 hurricane at landfall late tonight or early Wednesday.

Hurricane warnings are in effect for the Alabama and Mississippi coastlines, with tropical storm warnings extending to Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle.

With strong winds pushing against the coast, there is the concern of a 3-5 foot storm surge in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Storm surge warnings have been issued there, as well.

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Be prepared: Check your supplies, evacuation zone and more

A few factors are preventing Gordon from quickly strengthening. The first is its speed -- Gordon is moving relatively fast at 17 mph and is losing how much warm Gulf water is has to grow stronger. Once it makes landfall, the storm will weaken rapidly.

The second is wind shear, which is the change in wind direction with height. High shear prevents a storm from organizing or can even tear it apart. In Gordon's case, high shear on the west side of its center is preventing thunderstorms from developing.

Tropical Storm Gordon: Its path and what's to come

The hurricane center's latest "cone of uncertainty" for Tropical Storm Gordon is a good representation of many of the weather computer models: Most are in good agreement the storm will move off to the northwest.

Gordon could make landfall on the western side of the cone, near New Orleans, the east side, near the Alabama/Mississippi border, or anywhere in between. There's a small chance the center of the storm could move outside of the cone.

Click/tap here if you cannot see the image below.

But don't focus solely on the cone as a storm's impact extends far from its center. Although the strongest winds -- again, possibly at least 74 mph as a low-end hurricane -- will be at the center, gusty winds will be contained in the outer rain bands.

Those bands will drop a torrential amount of water across Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle, where the hurricane center says totals could reach as much as 12 inches.

►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.

Have a news tip? Email tips@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed. </s> NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Gordon hurled rough surf, high winds and heavy rain at the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday, strengthening as it spun toward the northern U.S. Gulf Coast, potentially to make landfall as a hurricane.

Gordon was forecast to come ashore between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. local time on Tuesday (0000 GMT to 0200 GMT Wednesday) along the Mississippi Gulf coast near the Louisiana state line as a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency and companies cut 9 percent of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production.

“I’m asking all residents to do their part in getting ready for this storm,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a statement. “The city’s absolute No.1 priority is to ensure the safety of our residents.”

Winds of about 70 miles per hour (113 km per hour) were expected to reach hurricane force of at least 74 mph (119 kph) by the time storm reaches the Gulf Coast and some areas still recovering from last year’s storms could see 12 inches (30 cm) of rain.

Beaches around Mobile, Alabama, were being washed by storm-driven waves on Tuesday morning, said Stephen Miller, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

“We’re expecting an increase in winds,” Miller said in a telephone interview. “We could see flooding.”

The storm was producing gusty winds and heavy rain along the coast of the western Florida Panhandle and along the Texas coast, the National Hurricane Center said in an afternoon advisory.

Sea levels could rise as much as 5 feet (1.5 m) from Shell Beach, Louisiana, to Dauphin Island, Alabama, forecasters said.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency told South Mississippi residents to be prepared to evacuate.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Gordon was 95 miles (153 km) southeast of Biloxi, Mississippi, and heading west-northwest, according to the National Hurricane Center.

At LaFrance Marina near Ansley, Mississippi, a mile north of Heron Bay on the Gulf of Mexico, marina owner Sue Cates said that a tidal surge is sure to push water into the marina’s low-lying campgrounds, making evacuation “the only choice” people have to protect themselves.

Nevertheless, she said she and her husband will remain in their home, which sits on tall pilings, 24 feet above ground. Built after Hurricane Katrina, the home is made to withstand a 150 mile-an-hour wind, she said.

“We’re way up here, and I think we’ll be OK,” Cates said. “People around here are well-trained for this sort of thing.”

U.S. oil producer Anadarko Petroleum Corp evacuated workers and shut production at two offshore oil platforms on Monday, and other companies with production and refining operations along the Gulf Coast said they were securing facilities.

The Gulf of Mexico is home to 17 percent of U.S. crude oil and 5 percent of natural gas output daily, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the ports of New Orleans and Gulfport and Pascagoula, Mississippi, may have to close within 48 hours.

Last year, hurricanes hit Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, causing widespread destruction and thousands of deaths.

The Inn at Ocean Springs and the Roost Hotel in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, had guests planning to ride out the storm, said Kristin Smith, general manager of both hotels.

“A lot of guests are real comfortable sticking it out in our rooms,” Smith said in a telephone interview. “Any of our guests who feel like they want to go home we encourage them to follow their instincts.” </s> GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — Families filled sandbags, took patio furniture inside and stocked up on batteries and bottled water as the Gulf Coast prepared Tuesday for Tropical Storm Gordon, which was forecast to become the second hurricane to hit the region in less than a year.

Just hours before the storm was expected to come ashore, a few people remained on the beach, soaking in the sun before the tropical rain bands became more numerous. Others did their familiar pre-storm preparation rituals, including the staff at The Hotel Whiskey in Pass Christian, Mississippi, only about a block away from the Gulf of Mexico. The hotel restaurant planned to stay open Tuesday evening as usual, fortified by sandbags to keep out torrential rains, the manager said.

“All the outside furniture has to come in, but honestly it’s not even a freak-out kind of hurricane, so we’re not super-stressed right now,” Ashley Peeples said around midday Tuesday.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the entire Mississippi and Alabama coasts with predictions Gordon would become a Category 1 storm. The National Hurricane Center predicted a “life-threatening” storm surge of 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) along parts of the central Gulf Coast.

Flooding was also a risk. As much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain could fall in some parts of the Gulf states through late Thursday as the tropical weather moves inland toward Arkansas.

By Tuesday afternoon, the storm was centered 145 miles (235 kilometers) southeast of Biloxi, Mississippi, with top sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph), forecasters said. It was moving relatively quickly, at about 15 mph (25 kph).

The last hurricane to strike the U.S. was Nate in October, coming ashore in Biloxi with 75 mph (120 kph) winds.

Governors in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana all declared states of emergency for Gordon, allowing them to quickly mobilize state resources and National Guard troops to help during and after the storm.

Gordon became a tropical storm Monday near the Florida Keys, so residents and businesses rushed preparations Tuesday. But for some people, it was just another beach day with a bit of a breeze.

Morgan Kearley took the potted plants off her porch Tuesday before heading to the beach at Bay St. Louis with her husband, their daughter and a niece and nephew. They stayed near the edge of the water as a stiff breeze from the south rarely relented.

“I think we’ve had worse in the past,” Kearley’s husband, Shane, said.

Mayors of barrier islands in the storm’s path warned that their communities might get cut off from the mainland. Gordon appeared to be coming toward Dauphin Island, Alabama, closer to low tide around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Police planned to monitor the only highway to the mainland.

“When you get the higher waves, water starts splashing across. Sometimes it starts pushing not only water across but debris, logs and things of that nature, which makes it very treacherous to get across,” Mayor Jeff Collier said.

Gordon was poised for only a glancing blow to New Orleans, where Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the city has “the pumps and the power” needed to protect residents.

Authorities issued a voluntary evacuation order for areas outside the city’s levee protection system, including the Venetian Isles, Lake Saint Catherine and Irish Bayou communities.

L. J. Cazaux moved his boat to a nearby lot of elevated land before the rain started in Venetian Isles. He elevated his house off the ground after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and has food, water and two generators.

“You just blend it into your lifestyle when you live outside the levee system. You know you’re going to flood before anyone else does. The good part about it is the water goes down faster here,” said Cazaux, who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years.

Gordon wasn’t the only storm being watched by forecasters. Hurricane Florence was some 2,400 miles (3,900 kilometers) away from the U.S., and another potential storm was likely to form not far off the coast of Africa and head east.

The National Hurricane Center said it is way too early to know if either of those storms will have any impact on land.

“It’s the peak of hurricane season. Now is the time to get your plans all set,” Hurricane Director Ken Graham said.
Tropical Storm Gordon forms in the Florida Keys and is forecast to strengthen over the next 48 hours as it brings strong winds and heavy rain to the Gulf of Mexico.