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Gustav Brings Heavy Surf, Storms To Bay Area

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 31, 2008

Updated: 08/31/2008 04:13 pm

TAMPA - Hurricane Gustav's passage through the Gulf of Mexico brought some rough surf, blustery winds and on and off rain Sunday with just a bit less of the same expected Monday.

Winds from the east on Sunday maintained a fairly steady clip up to 20 mph and some gusts along the coast reached 35 mph.

The wind and rain should be less Monday as the hurricane passes to the north of the Tampa Bay area and moves over land, the National Weather Service said. Rain bands will still spiral off the storm but fewer will reach West Central Florida.

It will take longer for the waves to diminish and the weather service has a high surf advisory in effect through Tuesday.

By the middle of Sunday afternoon, waves at Clearwater Beach had reached about 6 feet, the weather service said, and they were expected to remain high on Labor Day.

That heavy surf also means the danger of strong rip currents will linger along beaches through Tuesday.

Although Bay area beaches are not as prone to rip currents as beaches along the Panhandle, conditions from Gustav will increase the chance for rip currents to form along the beaches here.

The waves bring the possibility of some minor coastal flooding from Pinellas County north through Levy County.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami expects the storm to be roughly west of the Tampa Bay area early Monday morning.

Rain bands from Gustav started sweeping over Central Florida on Saturday night and will continue off and on through Monday.

The tropical moisture over the state will combine with daytime heating to bring afternoon rain in addition to bands from Gustav.

While attention is focused on Gustav, Tropical Storm Hanna is creeping toward the Bahamas, where it is expected to arrive Wednesday.

Forecasters believe Hanna will continue moving toward the southwest and begin a curve to the north later in the week and finally strengthen to a minimal hurricane off the Florida east coast.

Almost the entire peninsula is within the cone of possible strike zones for Hanna by early Friday morning, though forecasters say there is a chance the storm could be torn apart by shear.

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