LOCAL UPDATE (12pm 8/30) --
No change in T.D. 9 since last night. Modest strengthening still expected and will landfall in the Big Bend by Thurs. Next couple of days look WET across SWFL with tropical moisture streaming into the region. Localized flooding will be possible. Worst weather will stay well north of us.
-Chief Meteorologist Derek Beasley
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BUXTON, N.C. (AP) - The Latest on tropical weather systems that threaten the Southeast (all times local):
11:10 a.m.
Forecasters say a tropical weather system off the North Carolina coast is expected to pass near the Outer Banks by the evening.
An 11 a.m. update on Tuesday from the National Hurricane Center says the tropical depression could become a named storm later in the day. Its center is also expected to pass near the North Carolina barrier islands in the afternoon or evening.
Top sustained winds were 35 mph (55 kph) with higher gusts, and the storm was centered about 70 miles (115 kilometers) south of Cape Hatteras. A tropical storm warning is in effect for much of the Outer Banks.
In the Gulf of Mexico another tropical depression was about 340 miles (550 kilometers) west of Key West, Florida. Forecasters expect it to become a tropical storm later Tuesday and make a turn to the northeast toward Florida the next day.
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10:45 a.m.
A slow stream of cars is heading north on the main highway off Hatteras Island in North Carolina as crowds of visitors thin ahead of the approach of a tropical weather system.
Dozens of cars with tags from places including Maryland, New York and Ohio were seen headed Tuesday morning toward a bridge to the mainland. There was light, intermittent rain and mostly cloudy skies.
A tropical depression off the Atlantic Coast is expected to become a tropical storm and bring rain and wind to North Carolina's Outer Banks as it passes by early Wednesday.
A public beach near Rodanthe was nearly empty, save for two parents enjoying the morning with their 11-year-old son. Joe and Kelley Walker of Virginia say they plan to stay through the weather and watch movies inside when it gets rainy.
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8:05 a.m.
A tropical depression that threatens the North Carolina coast has turned north-northwestward in the Atlantic.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the depression is expected to later curve north and then northeast on Wednesday. Its forecast track shows its center will be near North Carolina's Outer Banks by Tuesday afternoon or evening.
The depression's maximum sustained are near 35 mph (55 kph) and forecasters say it could become a tropical storm later in the day.
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5:20 a.m.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says a hurricane hunter aircraft has been sent to investigate a tropical depression that's approaching the coast of North Carolina.
The depression's maximum sustained winds remain near 35 mph (55 kph) Tuesday morning but forecasters say it could become a tropical storm later in the day. The depression is centered about 95 miles (150 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and is moving northwest near 6 mph (9 kph).
Meanwhile, another tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico could hit northern Florida as a tropical storm later in the week.
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3 a.m.
Officials say a tropical storm is already forming off the coast of North Carolina's Outer Banks. It's expected to bring up to 45 mph winds and heavy rain that could flood low-lying areas.
The tropical depression was about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras on Tuesday morning with top sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph). Officials say it's expected to become a tropical storm by Tuesday but not grow any stronger.
Beachgoers, boat captains and business owners warily waited for the storm to wash out one of the summer's last busy weeks.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami also say another tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico could hit northern Florida as a tropical storm later in the week and possibly head toward the Atlantic coast.
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