image: Rains from Tropical Storm Colin were spreading over the Florida west coast by 7 a.m. EDT on Monday, June 6, 2016. When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Colin the previous afternoon, imagery showed Colin's clouds had already spread over southern Florida.On Sunday, June 5, Tropical Depression 3 formed over the southern Gulf of Mexico. By 4:30 p.m. EDT, the depression strengthened into a tropical storm and was re-named Colin. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible light image of Tropical Storm Colin in the southern Gulf of Mexico at 2:45 p.m. EDT (18:45 UTC) on June 5. The image revealed the center of Colin between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba as clouds from the northern quadrant of the storm streamed over Florida.
On June 6, a tropical storm warning was in effect from Indian Pass to Englewood and Altamaha Sound to Sebastian Inlet, Florida. A tropical storm watch was in effect from north of Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to South Santee River in South Carolina. The warning and watch areas cover most of the state.
At 7 a.m. CDT (12:00 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Colin was located near 26.4 degrees north latitude and 87.3 degrees west longitude. That's about 315 miles (505 km) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, and about 270 miles (430 km) south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida.
Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast today before Colin reaches the coast of Florida. Some slight strengthening is possible on Tuesday when Colin is near the southeastern United States coast. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1004 millibars.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Colin was moving toward the north-northeast near 14 mph (22 kph) and a turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected later today, Monday, June 6. Colin is expected to speed up overnight and into Tuesday.
NHC said the center of Colin is forecast to approach the coast of the Florida Big Bend area this afternoon or evening, move across portions of Florida and southeastern Georgia early Tuesday morning, and move near the southeastern coast of the United States later on Tuesday.
Credit: Image: NASA's Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team