Here Comes Alberto
Florida, Georgia, Carolinas In For A Soaking – But Will It Be A Hurricane?
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Play CBS Video Video Alberto Threatens Florida The first named storm of the new hurricane season is barreling toward Florida's Gulf Coast. As Jim Acosta reports, Alberto could reach hurricane strength.
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Video Alberto's Impact? CBS News hurricane expert Bryan Norcross reports on the projected course and likely impact of Tropical Storm Alberto.
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Video Florida Hurricane Watch CBS News RAW: Florida meteorologist Ben Nelson explains that Tropical Storm Alberto, which developed in the Gulf of Mexico, is now turning from a tropical storm warning to a hurricane watch.
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Citrus County Road Maintenance Workers, from left, Ron Lee, Alan Verone, and Gary Richardson, join other county workers filling sandbags at the road maintenance facility in Crystal River, Fla., Monday, June 12, 2006, as the county prepared for the approach of Tropical Storm Alberto. (AP)
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Rain from Tropical Storm Alberto soaks U.S. 19 in Port Richey, Fla., as Ed Schippan waits to load his bicycle on the front of a county bus for his southbound commute to work at Hess Express in New Port Richey, Fla., Monday, June 12, 2006. (AP)
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A surfer, framed by sea oats, leaves the beach Monday morning June 12, 2006 in South Pasaden, Fla., as offshore winds associated with Tropical Storm Alberto made surfing difficult. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
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Delvin Rahynes plays with an umbrella that the wind blew inside out while it rains outside the Ocean Walk Shoppes in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Sunday, June 11, 2006. (AP)
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Interactive Tracking Alberto Follow the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season.
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Section Eye On The Storm Check out our special section to recap past hurricane seasons and prepare for the next.
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Interactive Storm Season Track the latest storms, see how they form, get preparation tips and more.
"We were surprised, but we've been surprised before," hurricane specialist Richard Pasch said. "The center in disorganized storms can re-form and jump."
Forecasters said it could bring 4 to 10 inches of rain to central Florida and southeastern Georgia. Rain already was falling Monday and at least two tornadoes had formed, though there were no immediate reports of any injuries or damage.
In Florida, homeowners gassed up their vehicles and stocked up on chain saws, plywood and other emergency supplies. Workers at a marina in St. Petersburg said they planned to work through the night securing more than 600 boats.
"This is a little earlier than I expected," said marina manager Walter Miller. "But we've had a bad couple of years, so it's not entirely unexpected."
Alberto also prevented the crew of space shuttle Discovery from flying Monday to the Kennedy Space Center from Houston for several days of dress rehearsals for their expected launch in July.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ramped up its emergency operations center Monday for the kind of disaster relief effort that won it praise for responding faster than the government last year after Hurricane Katrina.
On Monday, Alberto drenched western Cuba after a weekend of heavy rains prompted evacuations, flooded tobacco farms, caused some dilapidated buildings to collapse and flooded low-lying areas in Havana.
Scientists say the 2006 season could produce as many as 16 named storms, six of them major hurricanes. Last year's hurricane season was the most destructive on record and the busiest in 154 years of storm tracking, with a record 28 named storms and a record 15 hurricanes.
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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