Weary Floridians are bracing themselves for yet another named storm as Tropical Storm Katrina approached the shores of south Florida.
Experts expect Katrina to strengthen and become a category one hurricane before hitting the south Florida coast on Thursday evening. The storm is expected to bring a foot of rain or more to the region within the next 24 hours as well as waves and flooding that is expected to reach between four and six feet.
The wind is actually the least of local residents' concerns. Category I hurricanes are the weakest category and have sustained winds of between 74 and 95 miles per hour.
Despite the relative weakness of the storm, residents were hoarding supplies, such as water, cigarettes, milk and gasoline. Some are also evacuating their homes after boarding them up to secure them in advance of Katrina.
A hurricane warning has been issued from Vero Beach to Florida City, as well as inland Lake Okeechobee. A tropical storm watch was issued for the central Atlantic coast, west coast and parts of the Florida Keys.
As of 8:00 AM EDT Thursday, Katrina was approximately 70 miles east of Fort Lauderdale and was moving west at about 8 mph.
This has been one of the busiest hurricane seasons in the Atlantic region in recent memories. Katrina is already the 11th named storm of the season which begins June 1 and runs through November 30 each year.
