Florida flooding emergency declared as tropical threat draws near

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A storm system brewing over Cuba on Friday will likely dump torrential rains over the Florida peninsula this weekend, a forecast that’s especially concerning for low-lying coastal and urban areas that were inundated by dangerous floods this year.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said there’s a 90% chance it will strengthen into a tropical storm by Saturday night as it curves northward just off the southwest Florida coast, where the water has been extremely warm, with temperatures approaching 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius) this week.

The hurricane center has labeled it Potential Tropical Cyclone Four for now. The next name on this season’s list is Debby. "Regardless of development, heavy rains could cause areas of flash flooding across Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas through the weekend,” its advisory said.

It doesn’t take a name for flooding to become dangerous. Torrential rains from a tropical disturbance in June left many Florida roads impassable, swamping school buses and stranding residents as cars floated away down flooded streets.