NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Inside the cozy confines of Denny's restaurant on State Road 44, Robert "Chip" Higgins wasn't impressed by what he saw of Tropical Storm Fay just before 2 this morning as wind gusts of up to 40 mph and precipitation picked up outside.
"I think it's going to rain a bit and that's it," said the 29-year-old server from Edgewater as he waited on a handful of patrons. "I think it's been overblown by the media. Hey, good pun."
Very little was open at this time of the morning and vehicular traffic was very light as strong bands of rain created large puddles. The Shell station across the street was open as was McDonald's next door. On North Dixie Freeway, 7-Eleven was the only business open. There were several police cars on Dixie Freeway, S.R. 44 and on Flagler Avenue near the beach ramp.
The tornado watch that was in effect for Volusia County throughout Tuesday night came and went at 1 am. Flash flood warnings remain in effect. Southeast Volusia could get 5 to 8 inches of rain over the next 24 hours as T.S. Fay inches northward at 7 mph with sustained winds of 45 mph.
While other parts of Volusia County were without power, about 270 in West Volusia and another 200 in the Daytona Beach area, there were no reported outages in Southeast Volusia. Statewide, 114,822 people were without electricity late Tuesday.
Another area of concern for coastal Southeast Volusia is beach erosion.
Here is the latest storm condition update for New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater and Oak Hill from the National Weather Service in Melbourne: ...FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...
THE FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR * EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...COASTAL VOLUSIA...INDIAN RIVER...INLAND VOLUSIA... MARTIN...NORTHERN BREVARD...NORTHERN LAKE...OKEECHOBEE...ORANGE...OSCEOLA... SEMINOLE...SOUTHERN BREVARD...SOUTHERN LAKE AND ST. LUCIE. * THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING
* RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO THREE INCHES ...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS...THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS IS ON TOP OF THE RAINFALL THAT HAS ALREADY OCCURRED.
* SOME RAINFALL TOTALS FROM FAY THUS FAR INCLUDE...
10.20 INCHES IN JENSEN BEACH...
8.69 INCHES FROM A WEATHER SPOTTER IN PORT SAINT LUCIE...
8.20 INCHES IN ROCKY POINT IN MARTIN COUNTY...
7.60 INCHES IN PALM CITY...
7.48 INCHES AT JUPITER...
7.15 INCHES AT SAINT LUCIE COUNTY AIRPORT IN FORT PIERCE...
6.71 INCHES FROM A WEATHER SPOTTER IN MELBOURNE BEACH...
5.55 INCHES IN STUART...
5.54 INCHES AT THE VERO BEACH AIRPORT...
5.48 INCHES AT JUNO BEACH... 5.24 INCHES IN PALM BAY...
4.95 INCHES AT THE MELBOURNE AIRPORT...
FLOOD WARNINGS ARE ALREADY IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF CENTRAL FLORIDA.
Overnight: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. Windy, with a east northeast wind between 20 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Wednesday: Tropical storm conditions expected. Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. South southwest wind 30 to 35 mph becoming north northwest. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Wednesday Night: Tropical storm conditions expected. Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 77. Northwest wind 30 to 35 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday: Tropical storm conditions expected. Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Southwest wind 40 to 50 mph, with gusts as high as 65 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night: Tropical storm conditions possible. Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 79. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. South southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
MARINE Forecast
Hazardous marine condition(s):
Hazardous Weather Outlook
Tornado Watch
Tropical Storm Warning
AMZ550-201215-
COASTAL WATERS FROM FLAGLER BEACH TO VOLUSIA BREVARD COUNTY LINE
OUT 20 NM-
1129 PM EDT TUE AUG 19 2008
TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EDT WEDNESDAY
TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT
REST OF TONIGHT
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED. EAST WINDS
35 TO 40 KNOTS DIMINISHING TO 30 TO 35 KNOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
GUSTS UP TO 55 KNOTS. SEAS 9 TO 10 FEET. EXTREMELY ROUGH ON THE
INTRACOASTAL WATERS. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
WEDNESDAY
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED. NORTHEAST WINDS
45 TO 55 KNOTS BECOMING NORTH IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO
70 KNOTS. SEAS 8 TO 9 FEET. EXTREMELY ROUGH ON THE INTRACOASTAL
WATERS. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED. NORTHWEST WINDS 50 TO 60 KNOTS BECOMING WEST AFTER MIDNIGHT. GUSTS UP TO 75 KNOTS. SEAS 8 TO 9 FEET. EXTREMELY ROUGH ON THE INTRACOASTAL WATERS. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
THURSDAY
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED. SOUTHWEST WINDS 40 TO 50 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 65 KNOTS. SEAS 7 FEET. EXTREMELY ROUGH ON THE INTRACOASTAL WATERS. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
THURSDAY NIGHT
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. SOUTH WINDS 40 TO 45 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 55 KNOTS DIMINISHING TO 30 TO 35 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 45 KNOTS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 5 FEET. EXTREMELY ROUGH ON THE INTRACOASTAL WATERS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
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