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Re: Bonnie barely a tropical depression in Gulf
By Alan Gomez, USA TODAY
TAMPA '” Bonnie is barely a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico and the storm with winds near 30 mph is not expected to strengthen as it heads toward the site of the blown-out oil well.
Forecasters with the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Saturday that Bonnie was hanging on as a depression, but the storm was not expected to change strength before the center reaches the coast.
The center of Bonnie came ashore Friday near Cutler Bay, about 20 miles south of Miami. It moved into the eastern Gulf and was about 165 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River at 11 a.m. ET Saturday.
Just before the lunch rush hit the Black Point Ocean Grill in southeastern Florida, kitchen manager Jason Rice saw two large waterspouts come in off the Atlantic Ocean and jostle the dozens of boats docked at the marina next door.
"It was definitely dead for lunch," Rice said. That was about the extent of the damage that Tropical Storm Bonnie caused as it sloshed its way across the southern tip of Florida.
With top winds estimated at 40 mph and rainfall estimates of 1 to 3 inches across the peninsula, the fast-moving storm was similar to the thunderstorms that regularly pelt the region. By Saturday afternoon, with the remnants of Bonnie moving further into the Gulf of Mexico, the National Weather Service issued an unrelated hazardous weather warning of thunderstorms with winds up to 30 to 40 mph.
The end result was an opportunity for emergency responders and residents to get their hurricane plans in place, said Palmetto Bay spokesman Bill Kress. "It was a fortuitous little storm," Kress said.
With forecasters predicting a busy hurricane season, Kress said it was good to have a dry run at their plans. The small village south of Miami activated its emergency plan '“ cleaning out storm drains to prevent flooding, getting its emergency personnel ready to respond and testing its communication network.
"It all kicked into high gear and it was really interesting to how everyone coordinated their efforts," Kress said. "Bonnie served a purpose."
Meanwhile, BP's evacuation of the Gulf of Mexico was called off Saturday and ships headed back to resume work on plugging the leaky well as remnants of Bonnie breezed past.
Thad Allen, the retired Coast Guard admiral running the federal government's spill response, called it "very good news." But the setback was still significant. Work came to a standstill Wednesday and will take time to restart.
Forecasters say they have canceled a tropical storm warning from Destin, Florida, to Morgan City, Louisiana.
Bonnie is moving west-northwest near 17 mph.
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