Fay came ashore at 6am this morning just a little south of Naples, Florida, with winds of 60mph gusting to 70mph and at 9am the storm was located near Immokalee moving to the northeast at 10mph. Winds are still at 60mph and they will only drop off a little as the storm slowly crosses the Florida peninsula. Since landfall, the storm has actually become a little better organized with a distinct central core - and the pressure has dropped 5MB to 989MB - as she heads toward the western shore of Lake Okeechobee. Fay will exit into the Atlantic somewhere between Palm Bay and Cocoa Beach at midnight tonight with winds of 40 to 45mph gusting to 50mph. A few gusts to 55mph are still possible on the barrier islands later this evening.

Expect a blustery day as Fay heads toward east central Florida with winds and squalls increasing in intensity this afternoon and lasting into Wednesday morning. Rainfall, heavy at times, could easily total 5 to 6 inches, so expect flooded roadways this evening and sporadic power outages tonight. Isolated tornadoes are also possible. Flooding could become a major concern if Fay slows down and stalls off the central Florida east coast. High pressure to the north is expected to block Fay's northward movement and the storm could curl back toward Savannah, Georgia, and regain some additional strength over the Gulf Stream.

If you live in south or central Florida, its just a good day to stay inside and monitor the progress of Fay across the state. Any weather reports, wind measurements and rainfall totals are always appreciated, and these can be posted in the Storm Forum
ED