Tropical Storm Andrea, the first named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, was expected to soon make landfall on Florida's west coast.
The National Hurricane Center said at 2 p.m. Thursday, Tropical Storm Andrea was about 35 miles west-southwest of Cedar Key, Fla., with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. Andrea was moving northeast at 17 mph.
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Andrea was accelerated northeastward during the next 48 hours, and make landfall Thursday evening in Florida's Big Bend area. Forecasters said Andrea will then move northeastward near the east coast of the U.S. through Saturday.
A tropical storm warning was issued for the west coast of Florida from Boca Grande to Indian Pass, Flagler Beach to Cape Charles Light Virginia, Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, and lower Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort.
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"This one fortunately is a fast-moving storm," said Florida Gov. Rick Scott. Slower-moving storms can pose a greater flood risk because they have more time to linger and dump rain.
Scott said the biggest risk associated with the storm was the chance of tornadoes. He noted that there has been confirmation of eight tornadoes so far across the state and he urged Floridians to remain vigilant about warnings.
Even before its center hit Florida, the storm disrupted graduation ceremonies at Clearwater's Countryside High School, where the Class of 2013 was supposed to graduate Thursday morning at Brighthouse Field, the spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Principal Gerald Schlereth decided to move the ceremony to the high school's gymnasium, but the gym wouldn't accommodate the nearly 500 graduates, friends, families and school officials so it was decided that the seniors would graduate in two sessions.
"You have to have a Plan B when weather is involved," said Ocy Ertzberger, head bookkeeper at the school of 2,400 students.
The split sessions would likely mean double-duty for the valedictorian, salutatorian and other graduation speakers.
Meanwhile, south Georgia residents were bracing for heavy rains that could lead to flooding.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service said heavy rains and flooding would be the main threats in Georgia, but isolated tornadoes also were possible.
"It looks like it's picking up speed and that's a good thing because it won't sit and rain us so long," said Jan Chamberlain, whose family runs the Blue Heron Inn Bed & Breakfast near the Sapelo Island Ferry station on Georgia's coast Thursday morning.
In Florida, storm surge was expected to be the biggest threat as Andrea comes onshore, said Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. The hurricane center said coastal areas from Tampa Bay north to Apalachicola could see storm surge of 2 to 5 feet, depending on the storm's progress and timing of high tide.
Blake added that flash flooding was a concern, with 3 to 6 inches of rain expected. Isolated areas in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina could get 10 inches of rain.
The National Weather Service in Tampa confirmed two tornados touched down early Thursday — one in Myakka City and the other in Sun City Center. Meteorologist Rodney Wynn said there were reports of downed tree limbs and power lines and minor flooding.
The city of St. Petersburg distributed sand bags to residents concerned about flooding from Andrea, and the Florida Highway Patrol closed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay due to wind speeds over 40 mph.
The storm was expected to hug the coastline, bringing rain as far as southern New England through the weekend.
In Florida, Gulf Islands National Seashore closed its campgrounds and the road that runs through the popular beach-front park Wednesday. The national seashore abuts Pensacola Beach and the park road frequently floods during heavy rains.
To the west, authorities in Alabama said that 13 people had to be rescued from rough surf kicked up by the storm Wednesday at beaches in two coastal towns.
In Cuba, heavy rains associated with the storm system have soaked the western part of the island for the last several days, overflowing rivers and damaging crops. At least 30 towns were cut off by flooding, and more than 2,600 people sought refuge from the rising waters at relatives' homes or state-run shelters, Communist Party newspaper Granma reported Thursday.