1. Strong, damaging wind gusts, which could cause tree damage andpower outages, will continue to spread well inland across portionsof northeastern Alabama, northern Georgia, the Carolinas, andsoutheastern Virginia today due to Zeta's fast forward speed. Windgusts could be especially severe across the southern AppalachianMountains.

2. Through today, heavy rainfall is expected near and in advance of Zeta from portions of the central Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic and lower to middle Ohio Valley. This rainfall may lead to flash, urban, small stream, and isolated minor river flooding.

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

The Storm Surge Warning has been discontinued. Information on ongoing coastal flooding can be found in coastal flood products issued by local National Weather Service offices.

The Tropical Storm Warning from the MississippiAlabama border to west of Navarre, Florida, has been canceled.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
- Navarre to Walton/Bay County Line Florida

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

For storm information specific to your area, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office.

Key messages for Zeta can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT3, WMO header WTNT43 KNHC, and on the web at www.hurricanes.gov/text/MIATCDAT3.shtml.

STORM SURGE: Water levels along the Central Gulf coast will gradually subside throughout the day. Consult products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office for additional information.

WIND: Tropical storm conditions are expected to continue within the warning area near the northern Gulf Coast for a few more hours.

Damaging winds, especially in gusts, are spreading well inland across portions of central and northern Alabama, and northern Georgia, and these winds will shift into eastern Tennessee, the Carolinas, and southeastern Virginia later today. Wind gusts could be especially severe across the southern Appalachian Mountains.

RAINFALL: Areas of heavy rainfall, both in advance of Zeta and along the track of Zeta, will impact areas from the central Appalachians, MidAtlantic and lower to middle Ohio Valley through Thursday. Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected across these areas, resulting in possible flash, urban, small stream, and isolated minor river flooding.

TORNADOES: A few tornadoes could occur this morning from parts of the Florida Panhandle across southeastern Alabama and Georgia. A tornado or two is possible later today over the Carolinas and southern Virginia.

At 400 AM CDT (0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Zeta was located near latitude 34.0 North, longitude 85.5 West. Zeta is racing toward the northeast near 39 mph (63 km/h). An even faster northeastward motion is expected later today, followed by a rapid eastnortheastward motion tonight and Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Zeta will move across portions of the southeastern U.S. this morning, across the MidAtlantic states this afternoon, and emerge over the western Atlantic by tonight.

Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts. Zeta is expected to become a nontropical galeforce low later today. The low should become absorbed by a frontal system over the western Atlantic by Friday night.

Tropicalstormforce winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km) from the center.

The estimated minimum central pressure based on surface observations is 988 mb (29.18 inches).

Surface observations and Doppler radar data indicate that Zetaweakened to a tropical storm around 0600 UTC when it was locatedover central Alabama. During the past few hours, the cyclone'sstructure has degraded further with the center no longer easilyapparent in radar images and convection appearing more ragged andasymmetric. The initial intensity is lowered to 50 kt for thisadvisory, and that could be a little generous. The minimumpressure is estimated to be 988 mb based on surface observations.

The storm continues to accelerate, and the latest initial motion is northeastward at 34 kt. Zeta is expected to race northeastward today in the fast steering flow between a potent mid- to upper-level low to its west and a high pressure ridge to its southeast. This pattern should take the cyclone across the southeast and Mid-Atlantic states throughout the day, before emerging over the western Atlantic this evening. An even faster east-northeastward motion is predicted tonight and on Friday until the cyclone dissipates by Friday night.

The tropical storm is forecast to weaken a little more during thenext several hours as it remains over land, and Zeta will likelybecome extratropical by the time it reaches the mid-Atlanticstates this afternoon. However, after that time, the models showthe cyclone leveling off in strength or perhaps evenre-intensifying over the western Atlantic before it becomesabsorbed into a frontal zone in 36 to 48 hours. The NHC intensityforecast follows the GFS and ECMWF models.