Storm warnings up along Gulf coast

Tropical storm warnings were posted Sunday from northwestern Florida west to Louisiana as Tropical Storm Debby advanced in the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 8 a.m., the fourth Atlantic tropical system of the year had sustained winds of 60 mph as it moved north at 2 mph, some 195 miles southwest of Apalachicola, Fla. The warnings spanned the area from the Ochlockonee River, Fla., to Morgan City, La., but didn't include New Orleans. Some strengthening was expected in the next 24 hours, the center said. To qualify as a Category 1 hurricane, a storm's sustained winds must reach or surpass 74 mph. "The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters," the forecasters said. As much as 4 feet of water could inundate coastal areas in Mississippi and Louisiana as Debby passes this week. Winds were extending outward up to 200 miles and as much as 10 inches of rain was possible, the report said. Various oil companies evacuated nine production platforms and one drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico Saturday, the Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal reported.