June 6, 2016 - 5:15pm
Tropical Storm Colin hammered much of Florida Monday, dumping fast-accumulating rain and causing flooding in certain parts of the Sunshine State.
The National Hurricane Center designated Tropical Depression No. 3 as Tropical Storm Colin, and on Monday, Gov. Rick Scott declared a State of Emergency as a result of the storm's impact across much of the state.
At the time of this article's publication, Tropical Storm Colin was around 165 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola and around 245 miles west of Tampa, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for Indian Pass to Englewood and Sebastian Inlet to South Santee River in South Carolina.
The storm is expected to turn towards the northeast Monday evening and will approach the coast of the Florida Big Bend area late Monday afternoon or Monday evening.
The National Hurricane Center estimates wind speeds up to 50 miles per hour with higher gusts in rainbands to the east and southeast of the center of the storm.
The Hurricane Center warned Floridians to be watchful of flooding, a very likely possibility due to the storm surge and rising tides.
Colin is expected to pour lots of rain on Florida, Georgia and South Carolina over the next two days, but the storm is likely to move fairly quickly on its trajectory.
Colin is the third storm to form in the Atlantic basin this year. Two other storms formed before this year's hurricane season officially started on June 1.
Florida has already ramped up its storm preparation efforts, with more than 6,000 Florida National Guardsmen ready for deployment to local communities.
State departments are also responding to Colin. The Florida Department of Education has activated its emergency contact system for the west coast, central, Big Bend and northeast Florida school districts and colleges and will be monitoring closures made at the district and college levels.
Several of Florida's state parks have also been closed for day use and for camping use.
Other state departments will be monitoring the storm to respond accordingly.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
