First tropical storm of the year hits western Florida

This year's first Atlantic tropical storm dumped rain on Florida Tuesday, but with still-fresh memories of last year's killer storms, locals were relieved that it failed to become a hurricane as expected.
Authorities dropped the hurricane warning issued for parts of the state's Gulf of Mexico coast, but warned residents to brace for coastal storm surge flooding as Tropical Storm Alberto moves inland.
The storm also could spawn tornadoes in parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. At 11 am (1500 GMT), the centre of the storm was just offshore of Keaton Beach in western Florida. Its maximum sustained winds hit 85 kilometres per hour (50 mph) and were expected to weaken as the centre of the storm moves over land.