Subtropical storm Alberto, the first named Atlantic storm this year, made landfall on Florida’s northwestern coast on Monday night. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes due to the storm, which hit on the Memorial Day holiday in the US. The US National Hurricane Centre said the storm has since weakened to a subtropical depression, with winds reaching a maximum 35 mph (55 km/h) and sustained heavy rainfall. The storm is also threatening the southeast with flooding as it predicted to spread moistures across the region as the week progresses.

Journalists Mike McCormick and Aaron Smeltzer died in a freak accident today while covering weather conditions in North Carolina, in the USA, during Storm Alberto. A falling tree crushed the car the pair were travelling in down a highway while reporting on the extreme weather. The heavy rainfall is thought to have waterlogged the soil and contributed to the tree’s fall. Alberto’s winds slowed down throughout Monday as it made landfall in Laguna Beach, west of Panama City on the northern Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Centre.

The winds lowered to 40 mph by the evening, when the storm was moving north at almost 10 mph. Alberto also interrupted Memorial Day plans in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi as it moved in the southeast. The storm does not yet have the strength of a hurricane, but heavy rainfall could still cause devastate homes and put lives at risk.

After hitting the Florida coast, Alberto is expected to now head further northwest and pass over Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi before reaching Nashville, in Tennessee. Brett Anderson, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist, said: “Winds will be much lighter west of Alberto’s track, and drier air being pulled into the storm will keep these areas largely rain-free.” </s> Alberto it is: First named tropical system chugs toward Gulf

MIAMI (AP) — A storm moving slowly through the Caribbean Sea is threatening to bring heavy rainfall, mudslides, and flash floods to parts of Mexico, Cuba, Florida and the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend.

Subtropical Storm Alberto — the first named storm of the 2018 hurricane season — was roiling parts of coastal Mexico and Cuba with rip currents and dangerous surf on Friday. Both countries issued tropical storm watches for portions of their coastlines, with rain totals in some isolated areas of up to 25 inches.

U.S. forecasters followed suit by issuing a tropical storm watch for parts of the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle southwest of Tallahassee to the New Orleans metropolitan area.

At 11 p.m. EDT, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Alberto was centered about 110 miles (177 kilometers) southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. Its top sustained winds were 40 mph (65 kph). A gradual strengthening was expected through the weekend as it moves north.

The U.S. was expected to start feeling Alberto's effects Saturday. The hurricane center said up to 12 inches of rain was possible across the Florida Keys and southern and southwestern Florida. Residents in the storm's expected path were advised to monitor the storm's progress.

"Flooding potential will increase across this region early next week as Alberto is forecast to slow down after it moves inland," the hurricane center said.

The National Weather Service said a flash flood watch would be in effect from Saturday evening through Tuesday evening for southeastern Mississippi, southwestern Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle. A storm surge watch was also issued for parts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

A subtropical storm has a less defined and cooler center than a tropical storm, and its strongest winds are found farther from its center. Subtropical storms can develop into tropical storms, which in turn can strengthen into hurricanes. Alberto comes ahead of schedule: the six-month hurricane season doesn't begin until June 1.

Parts of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana have already seen heavy rain this week, and further deluges could leave those areas vulnerable to flash flooding and river flooding. Some beachfront and riverfront communities are already handing out sandbags.

The downpours could dampen Memorial Day, the unofficial start of the summer tourist season along Gulf beaches. Along with heavy rains and high winds come rough seas and a threat of rip currents from Florida to Louisiana that can sweep swimmers out to sea.

Red flags warning of dangerous surf conditions are already flying along some beaches. Jordan Sawmiller of Ohio tells WALA-TV that he was approaching the water with caution in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

"It will hit you pretty hard . and it sucks you right back out. So, I don't like getting in there very far," Sawmiller said.

A hotel owner in Panama City Beach, Florida, tells the Panama City News Herald that her family's five hotels are normally full on Memorial Day weekend. But Julie Hilton said people are cancelling because of the weather and room reservations are down about 20 percent.

Heavy rain could also be bad news for farmers. Georgia Peanut Commission Chairman and farmer Armond Morris and Tyron Spearman with the National Peanut Buying Points Association inspected a south Georgia peanut field Thursday. They told WALB-TV that farmers are worried about already-soaked young plants.

"Just hopeful that all the peanut stands will be OK, but we may have to replant some peanuts," said Morris.

Only 65 percent of the 2018 Georgia peanut crop has been planted.

"The crop is not growing as well as it should be," said University of Georgia Tifton peanut agronomist Scott Monfort. "So we are getting some cases of yellow peanuts just not growing." </s> People walk on the beach as Subtropical Storm Alberto approaches in Panama City, Fla., on May 28, 2018.

Subtropical Storm Alberto’s pelting rain and brisk winds roiled the seas as it neared the U.S. Gulf Coast on Monday, keeping white sandy beaches emptied of their usual Memorial Day crowds.

Forecasters warned of life-threatening surf conditions as Alberto made landfall at Laguna Beach on the Florida Panhandle late Monday afternoon. A few brief tornadoes were possible in much of Florida and parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama. But forecasters said flash flooding from heavy rain was the biggest threat for most areas.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 5 p.m. EDT Monday that Alberto was centered about 15 miles west-northwest of Panama City, Fla.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving north at 9 mph.

As Alberto’s center move farther inland – deprived of the warm waters that fuel tropical weather systems – the storm was expected to steadily weaken. A subtropical storm like Alberto has a less defined and cooler center than a tropical storm, and its strongest winds are found farther from its center.

Rough conditions were whipping up big waves off the eastern and northern Gulf Coast region, and officials warned swimmers to stay out of the surf through Tuesday due to life-threatening swells and rip currents. The hurricane center said a tropical storm warning was in effect from the Suwannee River in Florida to the Alabama-Florida state line.

Between four and eight inches of rain could pummel Florida Panhandle, eastern and central Alabama, and western Georgia before the storm moves on. Isolated deluges of 12 inches were possible. Several inches were also possible from Tennessee east through the Carolinas.

Lifeguards posted red flags along the white sands of Pensacola Beach, where swimming and wading were banned.

Some tourists said the rainy weather would not dampen their vacations.

Jason Powell said he was seeking to keep his children entertained until Alberto blows through his Florida Panhandle vacation spot.

“So far we’ve seen a lot of wind and the ocean is really high, covering up the entire beach,” Powell said, adding, “we’re not letting it ruin our vacation … we’re going to watch some movies inside and a little TV, and hopefully maybe even get into the pool” despite the rain.

Janet Rhumes said her group of friends from Kansas had been planning their Memorial Day weekend on Navarre Beach since October, and no tropical storm could deter them. They stocked up on groceries and planned to play card games.

“We’ve never seen one before and we’re here celebrating a friend’s 20th birthday,” Rhumes told the Northwest Florida Daily News. “So how often can you say you rode a storm out?” Rhumes said her group.

The mayor of Orange Beach, on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, said Alberto brought rain and aggravation – and dashed hopes for record crowds. Red flags flew on Alabama beaches and officers patrolled, making sure no one entered the water.

Elsewhere, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management said, about 2,600 customers were without power in northwestern Florida on Monday morning.

Scarlett Rustemeyer, a barista at the Fosko Coffee Barre in Pensacola Beach, said she always frets about power outages whenever storms come through Florida.

“My boyfriend and I usually try to go to the store and stock up on lots of bottled water, and get like canned goods and things that won’t go bad if our power goes out,” she said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a hurricane season forecast Thursday that calls for 10 to 16 named storms, with five to nine hurricanes. One to four hurricanes could be “major” with sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

If that forecast holds, it would make for a near-normal or above-normal season. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

Kay reported from Miami. Associated Press writer Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed to this story. </s> May 26 - Florida Governor Rick Scott on Saturday declared a state of emergency as subtropical storm Alberto moves north towards the US Gulf Coast, threatening to bring heavy rainfall and flooding by Monday, according to officials.



All 67 Florida counties were issued the notice to give state and local governments enough time and resources to prepare, Scott said in a statement.



"As we continue to monitor Subtropical Storm Alberto's northward path toward Florida, it is critically important that all Florida counties have every available resource to keep families safe and prepare for the torrential rain and severe flooding this storm will bring," Scott said.



The storm is expected to approach the US northern Gulf Coast on the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, according to the latest National Weather Service (NWS) advisory. A tropical storm watch is in place from the New Orleans area to the Aucilla River in the Florida panhandle.



Alberto, the first named storm of the 2018 Hurricane season, was moving north near 10 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds near 40 miles per hour (65 km/h) with higher gusts on Saturday, the NWS said. Gradual strengthening is forecast until the system reaches the northern Gulf Coast by Monday night.



Heavy rains from the slow-moving storm were expected between 5 to 10 inches (13-25 cm), with up to 15 inches possible along from eastern Louisiana, across much of Mississippi, Alabama, western Tennessee and the western Florida panhandle, the NWS said.



Alberto's projected storm track has shifted eastward since Friday, lessening its threat to the active oil production areas in the Gulf of Mexico. Royal Dutch Shell plc and Exxon Mobil had evacuated some personnel from offshore Gulf oil facilities on Friday.



The storm on Saturday morning was last located about 20 miles (35 km) south of the western tip of Cuba and 250 miles (400 km) south-south west of the Dry Tortugas, which is almost 70 miles (113 km) west of Key West, Florida, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). </s> (CNN) A weakened Subtropical Storm Alberto made landfall Monday afternoon in the Florida Panhandle, showering the Southeast with rain and killing at least two people.

The storm is threatening the Southeast with flooding as it is expected to spread moisture across the region into the middle of the week.

Alberto's winds continued to slow down throughout Monday, reaching maximum sustained winds of 45 mph as it made landfall in Laguna Beach, west of Panama City on the northern Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. The winds decreased to 40 mph by Monday night, when the storm was moving north at close to 10 mph.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said the two died due to storm-related conditions. "North Carolina needs to take Alberto seriously," Cooper said in a news release. </s> PANAMA CITY, Fla. – The National Hurricane Center says Subtropical Storm Alberto has come ashore on the Florida Panhandle.

The Miami-based center said in a 2 p.m. PDT advisory that Alberto’s core made landfall Monday, May 28 at Laguna Beach, Florida, about 15 miles west-northwest of Panama City.

Forecasters say heavy rainfall and flash flooding are the biggest threats posed by the storm as it heads inland over the Florida Panhandle. With maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, Alberto was moving north at 9 mph.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for a stretch of coastline between Aucilla River in Florida’s Big Bend and the Alabama-Florida border.

The storm was expected to weaken as it continued moving inland. But forecasters said it will dump heavy rain on parts of the Florida Panhandle, Alabama and Georgia, raising the risk of flash flooding. </s> Forecasters downgraded Alberto to a still-dangerous depression Monday evening, warning heavy rains and an accompanying flood threat would continue in the aftermath of the storm’s landfall in the Florida Panhandle.

The Memorial Day strike on the Gulf Coast by the first named storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season drove holiday beachgoers away from roiling, dangerous surf. What had sprung up from the Gulf of Mexico as a subtropical storm was now a vast, soggy system trekking inland as it flung rain — heavy at times — all around the Southeast.

Forecasters warned that heavy downpours from the weakening system could raise the potential for life-threatening flash floods in coming hours or days across north Florida, much of Alabama and large areas of Georgia — and eventually into Tennessee and the Carolinas.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the depression was centered at 11 p.m. Monday about 50 miles west-northwest of Dothan, Alabama. Its top sustained winds had dropped nearly in half to about 35 mph. What remains of Alberto was crawling northward at about 12 mph.

Subtropical Storm Alberto is approaching the Florida panhandle and is expected to make landfall sometime Monday. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph early Monday and can create dangerous waves for people not in its path.

Authorities did not immediately attribute any deaths or injuries directly to Alberto. But in North Carolina, a television news anchor and a photojournalist were killed Monday when a tree that had been uprooted from rain-soaked ground toppled on their SUV as they reported on severe weather on the fringes of the huge system.

That was hundreds of miles from Alberto’s center and more rain is on the way.

Between four and eight inches of rain could soak the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and western Georgia before the storm moves on. Isolated deluges of 12 inches also are possible in spots as the system heads toward the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday and later this week into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region.

Earlier Monday, Alberto rolled up big waves and tides along beaches of the northern Gulf Coast. Lifeguards posted red flags along the white sands of Pensacola Beach, where swimming and wading were banned as Alberto disrupted long holiday weekend plans for millions.

The storm also forced some Memorial Day tributes to be cancelled across Florida’s Panhandle. Safety was the priority, but the decision was still a “heartbreaker,” said Tom Rice, a 29-year-old Army veteran who had helped with planning for a ceremony at Beal Memorial Cemetery in Fort Walton Beach.

Some stragglers still made their way through the rain to pay tribute at the cemetery’s Veterans Tribute Tower, however. Rice said American flags had been placed Saturday on the graves of all 1,700 veterans buried in the cemetery.

“We got the flags out,” Rice told the Northwest Florida Daily News as wind whipped a massive U.S. flag flying at half-staff. “That’s what’s important.”

Along the Florida Panhandle, tourists vowed Alberto wouldn’t dampen their fun.

Jason Powell sought to keep his children entertained with movies and TV, adding he hoped the sun would come out again after Alberto blew over. “So far we’ve seen a lot of wind and the ocean is really high, covering up the entire beach,” Powell remarked.

Janet Rhumes said her group of friends from Kansas had been planning their Memorial Day weekend on Navarre Beach since October. They stocked up on groceries and settled in for card games. “We’ve never seen one before and we’re here celebrating a friend’s 20th birthday,” Rhumes told the Daily News. “So how often can you say you rode a storm out?”

As Alberto’s weakening center heads inland it is being deprived of the warm waters that fuel tropical weather systems. As a subtropical storm, Alberto had a less defined and cooler center than a tropical storm, and its strongest winds were found farther from its center. Some of the rain bands spread hundreds of miles away from the center.

Elsewhere, the North Carolina Highway Patrol said, a large tree toppled on a news television vehicle Monday near Tryon, North Carolina.

WYFF-TV of Greenville, South Carolina, said a news anchor, Mike McCormick, and photojournalist, Aaron Smeltzer, with that station were both killed.

McCormick and Smeltzer had just interviewed Tryon Fire Chief Geoffrey Tennant as they covered storms in North Carolina.

“Ten minutes later we get the call and it was them,” Tennant said at a news conference, his voice cracking.

Tennant did not directly blame the up to 2 inches of rain that fell Monday from the fringes of Alberto for the deaths. He said the roots of a large tree that toppled on the vehicle came loose from ground saturated by a week’s worth of earlier rain.

The men died instantly, their TV vehicle’s engine still running, Tennant said. </s> (Reuters) - Florida and Mississippi on Saturday declared states of emergency as Subtropical Storm Alberto moves north toward the U.S. Gulf Coast, threatening to bring heavy rainfall and flooding by Monday.

All 67 Florida counties were issued the notice to give state and local governments enough time and resources to prepare, Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a statement.

“As we continue to monitor Subtropical Storm Alberto’s northward path toward Florida, it is critically important that all Florida counties have every available resource to keep families safe and prepare for the torrential rain and severe flooding this storm will bring,” Scott said.

His Mississippi counterpart, Phil Bryant, also declared a state of emergency. In a statement, Bryant said coastal and inland flooding could be a serious issue in the coming days.

“Whether you’re a resident of this state or just visiting, you need to stay updated on this evolving tropical system,” Bryant said. “I ask everyone to please make final preparations to your family emergency plan, especially those that live in mobile homes and low-lying areas.”

The storm is expected to approach the U.S. northern Gulf Coast on the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. A tropical storm watch is in place from the New Orleans area to the Aucilla River in the Florida panhandle.

Alberto, the first named storm of the 2018 hurricane season, was moving north near 10 miles (16 km) per hour with maximum sustained winds near 40 miles per hour with higher gusts on Saturday, the NWS said. Gradual strengthening is forecast until the system reaches the northern Gulf Coast by Monday night.

Heavy rains from the slow-moving storm were expected between 5 to 10 inches (13-25 cm), with up to 15 inches possible along from eastern Louisiana, across much of Mississippi, Alabama, western Tennessee and the western Florida panhandle, the NWS said.

Alberto’s projected storm track has shifted eastward since Friday, lessening its threat to the active oil production areas in the Gulf of Mexico. Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDSa.L) and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) had evacuated some personnel from offshore Gulf oil facilities on Friday.

On Saturday evening, the storm was last located about 95 miles (153 km) north of the western tip of Cuba and 275 miles (440 km) southwest of the Dry Tortugas, which is almost 70 miles (113 km) west of Key West, Florida, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). </s> Subtropical storm Alberto became the first tropical weather system of the 2018 hurricane season Friday and may bring heavy rain to Florida, the Gulf Coast, Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula.

Alberto sustained winds of 40 mph and was located 55 miles south of Cozumel, Mexico. The storm was moving toward the north-northeast at about 6 mph. officials said.

A subtropical storm has a less defined and cooler center than a tropical storm and its strongest winds aren’t located in its center. For Alberto to turn into a tropical storm, its top sustained winds would have to gust consistently at 39 mph, but no more than 73 mph.

A LOOK INTO THE 2018 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON

The National Hurricane Center’s announcement came a day after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that the Atlantic hurricane season was expected to be “close to normal.”

The NOAA said in its forecast that the possibility of a weak El Niño developing, along with near-average sea-surface temperatures across the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, will make conditions a little more difficult for storm development than last year.

NOAA forecasters are calling for 10 to 16 named storms with winds of 39 mph or higher, of which 5 to 9 will strengthen into hurricanes. Of those storms, there will be 1 to 4 major hurricanes, which are classified as Category 3, 4, and 5 with winds of 111 mph or higher.

An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which 6 become hurricanes, including 3 major hurricanes, according to NOAA.

Fox News’ Travis Fedschun and the Associated Press contributed to this report
Subtropical Storm Alberto, the first named Atlantic storm of 2018, makes landfall on the west coast of Florida, United States.