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WORLD> America
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Fay may strengthen and hit Florida again
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-20 16:01 JACKSONVILLE - Tropical Storm Fay continued its erratic path Wednesday reaching the coast and headed for the Atlantic Ocean, where it could strengthen and curve back toward Florida - possibly as a hurricane.
Meanwhile, as Florida and Georgia prepared for what could be another hit from the storm in the coming days, some farmers in the region hoped a soaking would boost crops hurt by a lingering drought. The storm first hit the Florida Keys, veered out to sea and then traversed east across the state on a path that would take it over the ocean before it curves toward the Florida-Georgia border. Forecasters expected the storm to get a dose of energy Wednesday when it moves over the Atlantic Ocean, where it should linger until Thursday, possibly reaching hurricane strength. It's expected to then veer back toward the mainland, and a hurricane watch was posted for parts of north Florida and Georgia. "This storm is going to be with us for a while. That's obvious now. It looks like it could be a boomerang storm," said Gov. Charlie Crist, urging residents to be vigilant for what could be the storm's third hit to the state. The storm was on Florida's east coast at 2 a.m. EDT Wednesday, about 15 miles south-southeast of Melbourne. Its maximum sustained winds remained near 50 mph. The storm was moving toward the north-northeast near 7 mph. And while forecasters warned rainfall from the storm could just as easily be catastrophic as benign, farmers in drought-plagued areas were cautiously optimistic. |
