Florida's Gulf Coast prepares for up to a foot of rain this week

Strong thunderstorms hit Florida's Gulf coast Sunday, along with warnings that the large, slow-moving storm could bring up to a foot of rain and severe flooding to the area in the coming week, the National Weather Service said.

People from Tampa to Pensacola should prepare for possible flash flooding, because the storm could bring 10 to 15 inches of rainfall in most areas, and as much as 18 inches in isolated locations, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said.

The weather service issued flood watches Sunday for 10 Florida counties that last through Tuesday morning.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said flooding could persist into the latter part of the week because of the cumulative rainfall from the lingering storm.

The storm is forecast to continue into next weekend, moving either west toward Texas or into the Tennessee Valley and farther northeast, she said.

Daniel Noah, meteorologist at the weather service's Tampa office, said flooding from the storm could close streets and enter homes and businesses. He warned people not to drive into the water.

“Situations can go from OK to bad very quickly,” he added.

Heavy storms and severe flooding recently struck elsewhere. Tropical Storm Earl is blamed for six deaths in Mexico from a landslide, the Associated Press reported Saturday. Last week in Ellicott City, Md., two people died after heavy flash floods swept through downtown.

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