Move aside, Jaws — there's a new shark in town.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close Saturday, bringing an end to a season that saw 11 hurricanes compared to the average seven, billions of dollars in damage and deaths and destruction hundreds of miles from where storms came ashore on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

With Hurricane Milton closing in on Florida’s Gulf Coast, News 6 reporter Erik Von Ancken has responded to southwest Central Florida to survey the area.

The Florida Highway Patrol released footage of a trooper pulling over on the side of the highway near Bruce B Downs Boulevard on Wednesday morning.

Ahead of Hurricane Milton's arrival, Sanford police have issued a reminder on when people should — and shouldn’t — call 911.

Hurricane Milton on Wednesday continues to move through the Gulf of Mexico on a path toward Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Milton has officially made landfall in Siesta Key.

While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida.

Ahead of Milton’s arrival, schools, airports and other attractions have announced closures to brace for the storm’s impact.

Hurricane Milton is gearing up to strike Florida’s Gulf Coast this week, and it’s expected to ram the Orlando area as a Category 2 storm.

Here are views across Central Florida as Hurricane Milton targets Florida.

Hurricane Milton is predicted to strike Florida’s Gulf Coast later this week, with Orlando firmly in the crosshairs of the forecast track.

Hurricane Milton strengthened into a Category 5 storm Monday, as Florida officials implored Gulf Coast residents to follow evacuation orders and utilities prepared for widespread power outages.

Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm on a path toward Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Top Biden administration officials are meeting with port operators ahead of a possible strike at East and Gulf coast ports, ahead of a Monday deadline when a union contract expires.

Massive Hurricane Helene crashed into Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region, bringing storm surge and high winds across the state’s Gulf Coast communities before ripping into southern Georgia.

Hurricane officials take to social media to say that Helene is not making a big move east.

Gov. Ron DeSantis warned time is “running out quickly” for people to prepare for large, life-threatening Hurricane Helene, which was already a Category 2 storm Thursday morning as it raced toward making landfall on North Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Helene has been approaching Florida’s Gulf Coast while it continues to strengthen, prompting coastal communities to brace for impact.

Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 continues to show signs of strengthening Tuesday morning, with rapid intensification expected over the next 48 hours.

The early forecasts from the National Hurricane Center for Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 are reminding a lot of Floridians of the projected path for another recent hurricane, Ian.

Tropical Storm Helene formed in the Caribbean on Tuesday on a projected path toward Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Rain chances are a bit lower than in recent days as Central Florida is tapping into a little more drier air with a 30-50% chance of isolated showers and storms.

Hurricane Debby continues its path toward the Gulf Coast of Florida on Sunday, with most models favoring a landfall between Apalachicola and Perry by Monday morning.

What has been perceived as a quiet start to the 2024 hurricane season is now showing signs of becoming more active.

The number of heat-related howler monkeys deaths in Mexico has risen to 157, with a tragically small number of the primates treated or recovering.

More than 15 million people from Texas to Florida are under threat of severe storms and the potential for more tornadoes.

U.S. officials who predict, prepare for and respond to natural disasters have a message for Floridians: It’s not a matter of if but when a hurricane will hit the state.

Florida wildlife officials say a sperm whale that became famous after beaching itself on a sandbar has died.

2023's Atlantic hurricane season is starting to wind down.

The Biden administration has awarded $1.4 billion to projects improving railway safety and boosting rail capacity.

Idalia has moved away from Florida, but the storm continues to batter the Carolina coast.

Floridians pray that when Idalia hits the Gulf Coast it won’t join the long list of destructive Atlantic Ocean storms whose names started with “I.”.

Watches and warnings have been issued for parts of Florida as the state prepares for Idalia, which is expected to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast as a major hurricane.

Forecasters are warning of possible flash flooding and landslides across the eastern Yucatan peninsula and western Cuba, and Florida is bracing for a possible hurricane by midweek, as a weather system off the coast of Mexico is expected to become a tropical storm by Sunday.

Another record-setting day of high temperatures hit the Dallas/Fort Worth area before a slight cooling trend moves into the area.

After a week of stormy weather, most of Central Florida has seen significant improvements in the ongoing drought situation.

A cool down is on the way for Central Floirda.

Portland, Oregon received nearly a foot of snow in a single day in what proved to be its second-snowiest day in history.

Travel + Leisure magazine reminds us that Florida still has ample small towns to visit.

What sets apart those along the Gulf Coast from those along the Atlantic?

Federal weather officials say drought and wildfire risks will remain elevated in the western states while warmer than average temperatures will greet the Southwest, Gulf Coast and East Coast this winter.

As Hurricane Ian nears landfall on Florida’s west coast, streets in downtown Naples are being flooded.

Hurricane Ian is currently hitting the Gulf Coast of Florida after strengthening to a Category 4 storm before making landfall, possibly near Port Charlotte.

Hurricane Ian is set to slam into Florida along the Gulf Coast, bringing heavy rain and wind to large swaths of the state.

One of the things that can be impacted during extreme weather is your car.

A crew working on the Alabama coast is assessing the remains of the last slave ship known to have landed in the United States, more than 160 years ago.

Authorities say they rescued a woman by helicopter after she was stuck in the vast marshland of a Florida state park.

Officials say a Florida woman was killed when she crashed into a police vehicle that was conducting a traffic stop.

A massive great white shark, being tracked by OCEARCH, pinged off the Gulf Coast of Florida on Thursday.

A cold snap in Florida is different than in other places.

A major U.S. port was the target last month of suspected nation-state hackers.

At 400 PM CDT (2100 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Nicholas was located near latitude 32.0 North, longitude 92.7 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the north near 2 mph (4...

Joe Sobol, owner of Big Easy Construction in New Orleans, has bad news for homeowners who’ve been calling about roofs damaged by Hurricane Ida.

President Joe Biden is pledging robust federal help for the Northeastern and Gulf states battered by Hurricane Ida and for Western states beset by wildfires.

Drivers in Central Florida may soon feel the impacts of Hurricane Ida, in the form of rising gas prices.

With more than 1 million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi having lost power, Hurricane Ida is sure to take a toll on the energy, chemical and shipping industries that have major hubs along the Gulf Coast.

The NHC is watching Ida and three other disturbances in the tropics.

Officials are offering new hope for the safety of U.S. schoolchildren threatened by COVID-19.

Tropical Storm Ida formed early Thursday afternoon in the Western Caribbean, and as of midday Friday, it was projected that the storm would track into the Gulf eventually as a hurricane of at least Category 2 strength.

Tropical Storm Ida has formed in the Caribbean and forecasters say it's aimed at the U.S. Gulf Coast, prompting Louisiana’s governor to declare a state of emergency and forecasters to announce a hurricane watch for New Orleans.

The U.S. Gulf Coast is glowing like a bad sunburn on maps that show COVID-19 trouble spots in red.

Tropical Depression Grace is drenching Haiti, dumping up to 15 inches of rain on a quake-damaged landscape as thousands of people huddle in fields and search for survivors.

Tropical Depression Grace is drenching Haiti, dumping up to 15 inches of rain on a quake-damaged landscape as thousands of people huddle in fields and search for survivors.

It is not going to be the best beach weekend if you are planning to enter the water. At the east coast beaches there will be a high rip current threat, especially for the Volusia and Flagler beaches. There will be an elevated threat for rip currents at the Brevard beaches but not as high. Use extreme caution and swim near a lifeguard if planning to swim.

The National Weather Service says people may experience respiratory problems because of a persistent bloom of toxic red tide off Florida’s Gulf coast.

Officials say a vacation rental building on Florida’s Gulf Coast was deemed structurally unsafe, leading to the voluntary evacuation of tourists who were staying there.

Weather forecasters say a storm that has been lashing Florida over the past day has intensified into a hurricane.

Forecasters predict a tropical storm will bring heavy rain, storm surge and coastal flooding to the northern Gulf Coast.

ORLANDO, Fla. – If you have plans to take lunch outside Monday afternoon, you should be good to go. Other than a stray shower through the first half of the day, Monday afternoon should be dry and warm, with temperatures topping out in the lower 80s in Orlando. There will still be a breeze, this time out of the south, but it won’t be as windy as the weekend. The highest rain chances come later in the evening and overnight. Highs by Thursday and Friday return to the lower 80s.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – The mega-rocket even more powerful than the Saturn V is coming together at the Kennedy Space Center and also NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. On the Gulf Coast Saturday, the Space Launch System is scheduled for a major engine test. The rocket is key to NASA’s Artemis program with plans to return humans to the lunar surface by 2024. And by the year 2024, NASA still plans on SLS and Orion sending the first man and next woman to the Moon. Artemis I would become the first launch from KSC launch complex 39B since 2009.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The U.S. Coast Guard says a man went missing after falling into the water from a dinner-cruise ship in the Gulf Coast in Florida. J.P. boat late Friday. The company J.C. Cruises says Capt J.P. is a 475-passenger paddlewheel boat that tours the scenic Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, Florida. Coast Guard crews searched for more than 11 hours in the waters before suspending the search. They received help from agencies such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Fort Myers Beach Police, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

ORLANDO, Fla. – ***10:54 p.m. Nov. 10, 2020***The Tuesday 10 P.M. update has the track of Tropical Storm Eta making Landfall in Florida sometime on Thursday afternoon. People who live there should make plans to be ready for Tropical Storm winds of 35 to 55 mph, some gust may be much stronger. Latest track of Tropical Storm Eta released. (WKMG)Forecasters predicted more heavy rainfall Tuesday in Cuba and in South Florida, where as much as 23 inches were expected to accumulate. Tropical Storm Eta was squatting off western Cuba on Tuesday after drifting away from South Florida, where it unleashed a deluge that flooded entire neighborhoods and covered the floors of some homes and businesses.

Zeta weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 80 mph (128 kph) as it moved into southern Mississippi few hours after landfall, but forecasters said it remained a life-threatening storm. “Guys, we received the brunt of Zeta, and Zeta gave us a good punch,” McInnis told WDSU-TV. More than 875,000 customers were without electricity in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including about 350,000 in metro New Orleans. Before landfall, Zeta’s top winds had risen to just shy of a major, Category 3 storm, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. ___Plaisance reported from Laffite, Louisiana, and Santana from Shell Beach, Louisiana.

MIAMI – Newly formed Tropical Storm Zeta stalled Sunday in the western Caribbean, but forecasters said it posed the risk of a rain-heavy hurricane for Mexico’s resort-dotted Yucatan Peninsula and the U.S. Gulf Coast. Zeta was the earliest named 27th Atlantic storm recorded in an already historic hurricane season. The system was centered about 255 miles (410 kilometers) southeast of Cozumel island in Mexico Sunday morning, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Atlantic storms that made landfall moved 2.9 mph (4.7 kph) slower than 60 years ago, the study found. The hurricane center said it could make landfall anywhere from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

MIAMI – Newly formed Tropical Storm Zeta gradually strengthened Sunday in the western Caribbean and forecasters said it would likely become a hurricane before hitting Mexico's resort-dotted Yucatan Peninsula and the U.S. Gulf Coast in coming days. Zeta was the earliest named 27th Atlantic storm recorded in an already historic hurricane season. The system was centered about 260 miles (420 kilometers) southeast of Cozumel island late Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The government is still handing out aid, including sheet roofing, to Yucatan residents hit by Hurricane Delta and Tropical Storm Gamma earlier this month. The hurricane center said it could make landfall anywhere from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Zeta is moving toward the east-northeast near 55 mph (89 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue through tonight. On the forecast track, the center of Zeta will emerge over the western Atlantic this evening. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts. A sustained wind of 39 mph (63 km/h) and a gust to 46 mph (74 km/h) were recently reported at Ocean City, Maryland. RAINFALL: The last of the heavy rainfall along the track of Zeta will impact the Mid-Atlantic through this evening.

FOLEY, Ala. – The two crew members who died when a U.S. Navy training plane out of Florida crashed in an Alabama residential neighborhood were an instructor pilot and a student aviator, the Navy said Saturday. The two-person crew, whose names were not immediately released, were on a routine training flight Friday out of Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida, Zach Harrell, spokesman for Commander, Naval Air Forces, said. They were seeking any photos or video of the aircraft in flight, WALA-TV reported. A photo shows smoke billowing from a home and at least two vehicles in the subdivision in Foley, Alabama on the Gulf Coast where the T-6B Texan II aircraft crashed around 5 p.m. Friday. Staff and kids at a nearby school were still on campus in an after-school program, Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler told WALA-TV, calling the crash “a little too close for comfort.”

This photo provided by Greg Crippen shows the scene where a U.S. Navy training plane crashed in an Alabama residential neighborhood near the Gulf Coast, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 near Foley, Ala. (Greg Crippen via AP)FOLEY, Ala. – A U.S. Navy training plane that took off from Florida crashed Friday in an Alabama residential neighborhood near the Gulf Coast, killing both people in the plane, authorities said. Zach Harrell, a spokesperson for Commander, Naval Air Forces, said both people in the T-6B Texan II training plane died, but they weren't immediately releasing their names. The crash occurred southeast of Mobile, near the city of Foley and the town of Magnolia Springs. The plane had flown out of Naval Air Station Whiting Field, about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) northeast of Pensacola, Florida, Navy spokeswoman Julie Ziegenhorn said. The U.S. Department of Defense and the Navy were set to handle the investigation, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office tweeted.

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – For the fourth time this year, Duke Energy sent crews to the Gulf Coast this time to help residents during Hurricane Delta. Robert Thompson is one of the linemen with Duke Energy and left Friday morning. He had just gotten back from the panhandle a couple of weeks ago after Hurricane Sally left thousands without power. Spokesperson with Duke Energy said the company is actually sending 165 crews from all over the state to Louisiana. Florida Power and Light also sent dozens of crews to the Gulf Coast on Thursday.

The current forecast has the same areas that were devastated by Hurricane Laura in late August receiving another strike from Delta, a strong hurricane, on Friday. Delta rapidly intensified in the Western Caribbean going from a tropical depression to a Category 4 hurricane in just 30 hours. In a 24-hour period, Wilma’s wind speed increased a whopping 105 mph, from a tropical storm to a monster Category 5 hurricane. Water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico with the current forecast of Hurricane Delta. With that said, Delta could still strike the North Gulf Coast as a category 2 or 3 hurricane.

The projected path included the southwest area of Louisiana where Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall less than two months ago. Frankie Randazzo, 47, the partner of two restaurants in Lake Charles, said people in the city were extremely anxious ahead of the hurricane. Randazzo watched pieces of one of his restaurants, Panorama Music House, fly past a meteorologist’s car on a Facebook Live video during Hurricane Laura. The most recent forecast for Hurricane Delta has the storm making landfall “almost precisely” where Hurricane Laura struck — a region where homes and electrical infrastructure are still damaged, Edwards said in a radio interview. New Orleans, well to the east of the projected landfall area, was expected to escape the worst of Hurricane Delta.

The storm being watched Wednesday was Hurricane Delta, the 25th named storm of the Atlantic's unprecedented hurricane season. Forecasts placed most of Louisiana within Delta's path, with the latest National Hurricane Center estimating landfall in the state on Friday. Along with getting hit by Hurricane Laura and escaping Hurricane Sally, Louisiana saw heavy flooding June 7 from Tropical Storm Cristobal. Tropical Storm Beta prompted tropical storm warnings in mid-September as it slowly crawled up the northeast Texas coast. “Not seeing any signs of any additional tropical weather in the extended which is OK with us because we are SO DONE with Hurricane Season 2020,” they wrote.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds Tuesday on a course to hammer southeastern Mexico and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf coast this week. | How COVID-19 is impacting forecasting | 3 top factors for hurricane development]Mexico began evacuating tourists and residents from coastal areas along its Riviera Maya Tuesday. Here is the 11 p.m. advisory and forecast track for #Delta from the National Hurricane Center. Residents in these areas should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place and monitor updates to the forecast of Delta,” the Hurricane Center said. Beach communities on the Alabama coast are still clearing away the damage from Hurricane Sally, which made landfall at Gulf Shores on Sept. 16, as they warn people to be ready for Hurricane Delta.

Fishermen pull in a boat before the arrival of Hurricane Delta in Puerto Juarez, Cancun, Mexico, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane Tuesday on a course to hammer southeastern Mexico and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf coast this week. (AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia)MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified into a dangerous Category 4 storm Tuesday while on a course to hammer Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf Coast later in the week. From Tulum to Cancun, tourism-dependent communities still soaked by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gamma could bear the brunt of Delta. Delta increased in strength 80 mph, more than doubling from a 60 mph storm at 2 pm EDT Monday to 140 mph at 2 pm EDT Tuesday.

VENICE, Fla. – A woman was fatally shot at a bank in Venice on Monday morning, sheriff’s officials said. The shooting happened just after 9 a.m. at a BB&T bank branch in Venice, which is near Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. Arriving deputies found the woman dead at the scene. The Sheriff’s Office hasn’t released many details about the shooting. But officials said “all involved parties are accounted for," the post said,Investigators are working to notify the woman's relatives.

Location 90 miles S of Knoxville Tennessee Wind 15 mph Heading E at 15 mph Pressure 29.77 Coordinates 84.1W, 34.5NDiscussionAt 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Delta was located near latitude 34.5 North, longitude 84.1 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the east near 15 mph, and this motion is expected to continue tonight and Monday morning. Maximum sustained winds are near 15 mph (30 km/h) with higher gusts. Some further weakening is possible tonight as a new surface low develops in the Carolinas, and Delta's surface low is expected to be absorbed by this new low pressure area on Monday. Moderate to major river flooring will continue across the Calcasieu and Mermentau river basins in Louisiana through much of next week

Coastal communities began preparing for Beta over the weekend, with both the city of Galveston and Galveston County on Saturday issued voluntary evacuation orders. Tropical Storm BetaTropics Forecast Cone at 10:57 Sunday Morning, September 20thTropical Storm Beta is about 180 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. Little change in strength is forecast during the next couple of days before Beta reaches the Texas coast. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles, forecasters said. Tropical Depression WilfredTropics Forecast Cone at 10:45 Sunday Morning, September 20thTropical Depression Wilfred is 1,340 miles west of The Cabo Verde Islands.

Forecasters said Beta was not expected to bring the same amount of rainfall that Texas experienced during either Hurricane Harvey in 2017 or Tropical Storm Imelda last year. The first rain bands from Beta reached the Texas coast on Sunday, but the heaviest rain wasn't expected to arrive until Monday into Tuesday. If the system makes landfall in Texas, it would be the ninth named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. in 2020. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Bermuda. Wilfred, which had been a tropical storm, weakened to a tropical depression earlier Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center said Beta formed around 4 p.m. in the Gulf of Mexico. pic.twitter.com/zpDa2xBGqg — Jonathan Kegges (@JonathanKegges) September 18, 2020The storm could strengthen and near hurricane strength on Sunday, according to the hurricane center. According to the National Hurricane Center, the system is expected to fall apart over the weekend. Subtropical Storm #Alpha Advisory 2: Alpha Makes Landfall in Portugal. https://t.co/VqHn0uj6EM — National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 18, 2020Wilfred’s maximum sustained winds Friday afternoon were near 40 mph.

Hurricane Sally caused the tide to rise about four feet (1.2 meters) in Pascagoula on Missisippi’s Gulf Coast. It’s chaotic.”------MIAMI -- Tropical Storm Sally has begun to spread heavy rains into the U.S. Southeast as it moves inland at a faster-than-expected pace. --PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Several boats docked at a pier in Pensacola, Florida, have sunk as Sally moved over the Gulf Coast. Kay Ivey says some areas of the state are seeing historic flood levels from slow-moving Hurricane Sally and more flooding is expected throughout the day. --MIAMI -- Hurricane Sally has decreased to a Category 1 storm as it pounds the Gulf Coast, but remains a dangerous rainmaker.

– As rain and wind from Sally starting reaching the Gulf Coast, the manager of a Mississippi alligator ranch was just hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with a repeat of what happened during Hurricane Katrina. That’s when about 250 alligators escaped their enclosures as storm surge pushed water over the grounds. “I’m thinking a sigh of relief somewhat,” said manager Tim Parker, who took over Gulf Coast Gator Ranch & Tours after Katrina. As the hurricane moved east of Mississippi, the surge forecast was reduced to no more than 4 feet (1.2 meters). Parker’s farm has alligators up to 14 feet long, roaming and swimming through ponds, sand dunes and tall marsh grass.

As the system slowly moves away from the Orlando area, however, rain chances here will decrease a bit. Hurricane Sally’s northern eyewall is raking the Gulf Coast with hurricane-force winds and rain from Pensacola Beach, Florida westward to Dauphin Island, Alabama, the National Hurricane Center said. Stacy Stewart, a senior specialist with the National Hurricane Center says the Category 2 hurricane could strengthen further before the entire eyewall moves inland. Sally was a rare storm that could make history, said Ed Rappaport, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center. With Hurricane Sally expected to dump rain for days, the problem could be worse than normal, she said.

A curfew was called in the coastal Alabama city of Gulf Shores due to life-threatening conditions. The county includes Pensacola, one of the largest cities on the Gulf Coast. Landfall was expected on the northern Gulf Coast early Wednesday. Although the hurricane had the Alabama and Florida coasts in its sights Wednesday, its effects were felt all along the northern Gulf Coast. With Hurricane Sally expected to dump rain for days, the problem could be worse than normal, she said.

People play in a flooded parking lot at Navarre Beach, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in Pensacola Beach, Fla. Hurricane Sally is crawling toward the northern Gulf Coast at just 2 mph, a pace that's enabling the storm to gather huge amounts of water to eventually dump on land. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)Here are the latest developments on tropical weather (all times local):PENSACOLA, Fla. — Sally has restrengthened into a powerful Category 2 hurricane as it veers eastward and crawls toward a potential landfall between the Florida Panhandle and Mobile Bay. The National Hurricane Center said early Wednesday that the storm's sustained winds had increased to 100 mph (161 kph). The latest forecast track has the hurricane making landfall later Wednesday morning. About 1 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sally was centered about 65 miles (105 kilometers) southeast of Mobile, Alabama, and 60 miles (95 kilometers) southwest of Pensacola, Florida.

Waters from the Guld of Mexico poor onto a local road, Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, in Waveland, Miss. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbrt)Here are the latest developments on tropical weather (all times local):___The Florida Panhandle is being pummeled by heavy rains from Hurricane Sally’s outer bands. The powerful, plodding storm was crawling toward the northern Gulf Coast at 3 mph (4.8 kph) early Tuesday. Florida’s governor declared an emergency in two western Panhandle counties. President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

This satellite photo provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Sally, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, at 2050 GMT. Sally churned northward on Sunday, poised to turn into a hurricane and send a life-threatening storm surge along the northern Gulf of Mexico. (NOAA via AP)Here are the latest developments on tropical weather (all times local):4 p.m.A rapidly intensifying Hurricane Sally is closing in on the northern Gulf Coast Sally after reaching Category 2 strength. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Sally has grown into an extremely dangerous hurricane with top sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph). The storm could drop as much as 2 feet (0.6 meters) of rain in spots and that could bring severe flooding, according to the center.

– Storm-weary Gulf Coast residents prepared for a new weather onslaught Monday as Tropical Storm Sally churned northward. He said a matching pelican marker on the opposite side of the driveway was washed away in Tropical Storm Cristobal earlier this summer. “That system is forecast to bring not only damaging winds but a dangerous storm surge,” said Daniel Brown of the Hurricane Center. Once a tropical storm, Rene was forecast to become a remnant low Monday. Tropical Depression Twenty was expected to strengthen this week and become a tropical storm by Tuesday, forecasters said.

– Tropical Storm Sally slowed down Sunday as it churned northward toward the U.S. Gulf Coast, increasing the risk of heavy rain and dangerous storm surge before an expected strike as a Category 2 hurricane in southern Louisiana. He said a matching pelican marker on the opposite side of the driveway was washed away in Tropical Storm Cristobal earlier this summer. Once a tropical storm, Rene was forecast to become a remnant low Monday. Tropical Depression Twenty was expected to strengthen this week and become a tropical storm by Tuesday, forecasters said. “It is likely that this storm system will be impacting Alabama’s Gulf Coast.