Floridians are already experiencing the effects of Tropical Storm Cindy

As coastal cities along the Gulf of Mexico brace for Tropical Storm Cindy’s (anticipated) landfall in the next 12-24 hours, residents of Florida’s panhandle are already experiencing some of its effects.  Just yesterday, a large waterspout was sighted off of the coast near St. George Island, Florida.  This could be the first of several sightings since conditions will remain favorable for tornadoes.  Panhandle residents were also advised to prepare for life-threatening flash-floods.  The National Hurricane Center has predicted rainfall between 6-9inches and storm surges between 1-3feet above ground level.  If Tropical Storm Cindy makes landfall it will be the first storm to do so during the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, which has stayed true to NOAA’s “above average” activity prediction. So far three named storms have formed in the Atlantic Ocean, with Tropical Storm Arlene occurring off-season.