Tropical Storm Mindy forms in Gulf

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Mindy formed Wednesday in the northeast Gulf of Mexico, prompting forecasters to issue a tropical storm warning for part of the Florida Panhandle.

Mindy could cause as much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rainfall across the Florida Panhandle and portions of southern Georgia and South Carolina through Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center said. Scattered flash, urban, and small stream floods are possible.

The tropical storm warning is in effect from Mexico Beach, Florida, to the Steinhatchee River to the east.

The storm on Wednesday evening was about 90 miles (145 kilometers) west-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida, and moving northeast at 21 mph (34 mph) with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), forecasters said.

Mindy is the 13th-named storm of what has been another busy Atlantic hurricane season. According to a tweet from Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach, the average date for the 13-named storm from 1991-2020 was Oct. 24.