State Of Emergency Declared As Tropical Storm Emily Moves In

TALLAHASSEE, FL — As Tropical Storm Emily nears the mouth of Tampa Bay, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency across 31 counties late Monday morning.

“Earlier this morning, Tropical Depression Six was upgraded to Tropical Storm Emily and tropical storm warnings are currently in effect along Florida’s west coast,” Scott said in a July 31 statement. “Upon learning of this tropical system from the National Hurricane Center, the State of Florida immediately engaged to prepare for any potential storm impacts. I have declared a state of emergency across 31 counties to ensure that every community has the resources they need, and that state, regional and local agencies can easily work together to keep people prepared during Tropical Storm Emily.”

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As of 11 a.m. Monday, Tropical Storm Emily was located about 35 miles southwest of Tampa and about 45 miles northwest of Sarasota. The system was moving east at 9 mph while packing maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the area from the Anclote River south to Bonita Beach as of Monday morning. Warnings mean tropical storm conditions are likely, “in this case within the next few hours,” forecasters wrote Monday morning. Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles.

"On the forecast track, the center of Emily is expected to move inland over the west-central Florida peninsula this afternoon, and move across central Florida through tonight," forecasters wrote in an 11 a.m. advisory on the story. "Emily is forecast to move offshore of the east central Florida coast Tuesday morning."

“While this storm developed quickly overnight and will swiftly move across our state, storms can always develop rapidly and that is why is it so important to be prepared at the start of hurricane season,” Scott said. “For helpful preparation resources, please visit FLGetAPlan.com. We will keep monitoring and issuing updates on Tropical Storm Emily as it moves across Florida today.”

• See also: Tropical Storm Emily 'Approaching Mouth Of Tampa Bay'

Photo via Gov. Rick Scott’s Facebook page