TS Claudette in the Gulf of Mexico

TD 4 strengthens to become TS Claudette. At 500 PM EDT...the center of Tropical Storm Claudette was located 40 miles west-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida and about 120 miles southeast of Pensacola, Florida. Claudette is moving toward the northwest near 14 mph. This motion is expected to continue this evening and on this forecast track...the center will move onshore in the Florida Panhandle later tonight. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts. There is the potential for some additional strengthening prior to landfall. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center. Estimated minimum central pressure is 1008 mb. Rainfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches...with isolated maximum amounts of 10 inches are expected across the Florida Panhandle...The Big Bend region of Florida...central and southern Alabama...and extreme southwestern Georgia. Storm tide is expected to produce maximum water levels of 3 to 5 feet above ground level along portions of the Florida Panhandle...including The Big Bend. A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect from the Alabama/Florida border eastward to the Suwannee River Florida.