Tropical Storm Debby heads toward Florida with hurricane warnings in effect

The National Hurricane Center said in an update posted at 8 a.m. Sunday that Debby was located about 155 miles (250 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, Florida, and about 205 miles (330 kilometers) south-southwest of Cedar Key, Florida. The storm was moving north-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (85 kph), up from 50 mph (80) just a few hours ago.

The storm was strengthening over the southeastern Gulf and expected to be a hurricane before making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, the hurricane center said.

Wind and thunderstorms have spread over a broad area including southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas.