Tropical Storm Gordon formed Monday near Key Largo and lashed South Florida with gusty winds and heavy rain.
Gordon, with winds of about 45 mph, was on the lower end of a tropical storm's intensity, but brought bursts of powerful wind as Monday stretched into the afternoon.
Gordon was moving northwest into the Gulf of Mexico, where it's expected to strengthen.
The National Hurricane Center discontinued a tropical storm warning for a region that spans South Florida.
But a hurricane warning was issued for the northern Gulf coast from the Florida-Alabama border to the mouth of the Pearl River, which separates Mississippi and Louisiana.
It means "hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area" over the next two days, according to the National Hurricane Center. "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."
Meanwhile, a patch of bad weather off the African coast formed into Tropical Storm Florence early Saturday morning but is not expected to reach hurricane strength or threaten the United States.
It will strengthen over the next few days.
