Tropical Storm Colin threatens Florida, southeastern U.S.

[June 06, 2016]  (Reuters) - A tropical depression threatened Florida and parts of the southeastern United States with severe thunderstorms after being upgraded to Tropical Storm Colin by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

The storm, expected to hit Florida's Gulf Coast by Monday afternoon, began drenching parts of the southeastern United States on Sunday. Forecasters warned of severe thunderstorms along the East Coast and issued a tropical storm warning for Florida's Gulf Coast.

Colin is the second named storm in a week at the beginning of what is expected to be a brisk Atlantic Ocean hurricane season running through Nov. 30.

Over Memorial Day weekend, the Carolinas were lashed by heavy rain and winds from Tropical Storm Bonnie. The first hurricane of the year, Alex, brought rain and wind but little damage to Portugal's Azores archipelago in January.

By the early hours of Monday, heavy rain from Colin was spreading northward toward Florida, the hurricane center said. At 2 a.m. EDT, it was about 410 miles southwest of Tampa, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and moving north at about 10 mph.

A tropical storm warning remained in effect from Indian Pass to Englewood, and from Altamaha Sound to Sebastian Inlet.

The storm could dump up to 8 inches of rain on parts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas through Tuesday, with the potential for 1 to 3 feet of flooding if storm surge occurs at high tide, the hurricane center said. Sandbags were being made available in the Tampa area.

Florida heightened the response level of its State Emergency Operations Center on Sunday.

"Floridians should remain vigilant and have an emergency plan for their families and businesses in place today," Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a statement.

Other areas on the U.S. eastern seaboard also experienced heavy rain on Sunday as storms moved from the west. Rain fell on and off in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and parts of the Carolinas.

Meanwhile the west of the country endured a heat wave that spurred wildfires in California and pushed temperatures to record highs.

Temperatures soared well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in parts of southern California, Arizona and Nevada, with unseasonable heat also afflicting inland areas of the Pacific Northwest, the National Weather Service said.

In Texas, where torrential rains led to flooding last week that killed at least 16 people, waters were expected to recede as the weather dries out, said Mark Null, hydrologist at the National Weather Service.

(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein Editing by Chris Michaud and Alison Williams)

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