Tropical Storm Claudette Bears Down On Gulf Coast With Heavy Rain

The storm came ashore early Saturday, bringing rain and flooding to the South.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tropical Storm Claudette dumped heavy rain across the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida as it chugged inland Saturday, triggering flash floods and tornado warnings along its soggy course across the Southeast. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm at 4 a.m. Saturday, well after the storm’s center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans. It was north of the city three hours later, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph) as the storm plodded to the northeast at 12 mph (19 kph). The heaviest rains were far from the center, near the Mississippi-Alabama state line. Tornado warnings were issued from the Mississippi coast to the western Florida panhandle. Residents of Pace, Florida, called 911 to report a possible twister that tore the roofs off two homes and damaged at least three others.