Forecasters expect depression to become Tropical Storm Debby as it nears Florida's Gulf Coast

Forecasters say a tropical depression over Cuba is growing better organized and is likely to bring drenching rain and coastal flooding to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast. The storm strengthened into a tropical depression late Friday, and is expected to become a tropical storm by Saturday night. If the depression reaches tropical storm status, it would be named Debby. Wind and thunderstorms have spread over a broad region, including southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. Predictions show the system could come ashore as a strong tropical storm late Sunday or early Monday and cross over northern Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. There, it could threaten Georgia and the Carolinas with heavy precipitation.