text: tropical storm andrea ( 2013 ) tropical storm andrea brought flooding to cuba , the yucatan peninsula , and portions of the east coast of the united states in june 2013 . the first tropical cyclone and named storm of the annual hurricane season , andrea originated from an area of low pressure in the eastern gulf of mexico on june 5 . despite strong wind shear and an abundance of dry air , the storm strengthened while initially heading north - northeastward . later on june 5 , it re - curved northeastward and approached the big bend region of florida . andrea intensified and peaked as a strong tropical storm with winds at 65 mph ( 100 km / h ) on june 6 . a few hours later , the storm weakened slightly and made landfall near steinhatchee , florida later that day . it began losing tropical characteristics while tracking across florida and georgia . andrea transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over south carolina on june 7 , though the remnants continued to move along the east coast of the united states , until being absorbed by another extratropical system offshore maine on june 10 . prior to becoming a tropical cyclone , the precursor to andrea dropped nearly 12 inches ( 300 mm ) of rainfall on the yucatán peninsula . in cuba , the storm brought flooding , especially in pinar del río province . over 1 , 000 people fled their homes , mainly along the cuyaguateje river . a tornado was also spawned in the area , damaging three homes . in florida , the storm brought heavy rainfall to some areas , causing localized flooding . there were nine tornadoes in florida , the worst of which touched down in the acreage and downed power lines and trees , causing significant roof damage to several houses ; there was also one injury . after andrea transition into an extratropical storm , the remnants that also spawned one tornado in north carolina , though damage was minor . additionally , minor flooding was reported in some areas of the northeastern united states . three fatalities occurred due to weather - related traffic accidents in virginia and new jersey . there was a direct death reported after a surfer in south carolina went missing and was presumed to have drowned . the remnants of andrea also brought gusty winds to atlantic canada , causing thousands of power outages in nova scotia and new brunswick . meteorological history at the end of may 2013 , a broad and diffuse cyclonic disturbance developed over eastern mexico and northern central america , incorporating the remnants of eastern pacific hurricane barbara . as a tropical wave approached from the east , an inverted trough developed on the northern edge of the active region on june 2 , setting the stage for the formation of a weak surface low pressure system over the southern gulf of mexico the next day . the national hurricane center ( nhc ) began monitoring the system in their tropical weather outlooks , bulletins issued every six hours regarding the probability of tropical cyclone formation within 48 hours . a nearby upper trough created unfavorable conditions for tropical cyclogenesis , subjecting the low to wind shear and abundant dry air that kept it indistinct and disorganized . on june 5 , the environment became less hostile , and the system began to improve in structure . on june 5 , a hurricane hunters flight found a closed center and winds of 40 mph ( 65 km / h ) . in response , the nhc initiated advisories on tropical storm andrea later that day , while centered about 310 miles ( 500 km ) southwest of st. petersburg , florida . due to somewhat unfavorable conditions , significant strengthening was initially considered unlikely . early on june 6 , deep convection was displaced well to the east and southeast of the center as a result of wind shear up to 29 mph ( 47 km / h ) . despite this , andrea intensified to attain peak winds of 65 mph ( 100 km / h ) at 1200 utc that day . thereafter , unfavorable conditions , including dry air entrainment caused the storm to weaken slightly . at 2200 utc on june 6 , andrea made landfall in dixie county , florida about 10 miles ( 15 km ) south of steinhatchee . simultaneously , the storm attained its minimum barometric pressure of 992 mbar ( 29 . 3 inhg ) . after moving inland on june 6 , the nhc noted that extratropical transition was likely within 24 hours and that it " could occur sooner if the convective structure does not improve . " by later on june 7 , most of the convection became displaced to the northwest due to dry air . around that time , the storm began accelerating northeastward at 26 mph ( 42 km / h ) due to an approaching mid - latitude trough . based on ground observations and doppler radar , the system transitioned into an extratropical cyclone at 1800 utc on june 7 , while located over northeastern south carolina . the remaining thunderstorms around andrea became indistinguishable from those associated with a frontal zone over north carolina . due to a policy created in response to hurricane sandy , the nhc continued to issue advisories on the remnants of andrea as it remained a threat to the east coast of the united states . on june 8 , it moved rapidly northeastward across the mid - atlantic and new england . because gale - force winds were located well to the southeast of the center , the nhc ceased advisories on the remnants of andrea . upon reaching the gulf of maine , the extratropical remnants of andrea were absorbed by another extratropical low pressure area around 0000 utc on june 9 . preparations multiple tropical cyclone warnings and watches were posted along both the atlantic and gulf coasts of the united states in association with tropical storm andrea . at 2200 utc on june 5 , a tropical storm warning was issued from boca grande to the mouth of the ochlockonee river in florida . additionally , a tropical storm watch was put into effect for flagler beach , florida to surf city , north carolina . at 0900 utc on june 6 , the tropical storm warning was extended from the mouth of the ochlockonee river to indian pass , florida . simultaneously , another tropical storm warning was issued from flagler beach , florida to cape charles light in virginia . early on june 7 , the tropical storm warning on the gulf coast of florida was expanded to include boca grande to the steinhatchee river in florida , before being canceled a few hours later . at 0900 utc on june 7 , the tropical storm warning from flagler beach to surf city was modified to altamaha river , georgia to cape charles light . throughout that day , the tropical storm warning was progressively retracted northward , with the southern terminal being at the savannah river in georgia at 1200 utc , the santee river in south carolina at 1500 utc , the little river inlet in south carolina at 1800 utc , and finally surf city at 2100 utc . early on june 8 , all tropical cyclone and watches were discontinued . the united states coast guard urged marine interests and boaters in florida , georgia , and south carolina to take precaution to protect their lives and vessels . in florida , the gulf islands national seashore closed their campground and a beach front road . additionally , several states parks were closed and campers were evacuated . at pensacola beach , condominium associations asked residents to remove furniture from high balconies due to the anticipation of strong winds . a state of emergency was issued for taylor county , where two shelters were opened . impact becoming a tropical storm on june 5 , andrea marked the fourth consecutive season with a named storm in the month of june , following hurricane alex in 2010 , tropical storm arlene in 2011 , and hurricane chris and tropical storm debby in 2012 . this was over a month earlier than the 1966 – 2009 average date of the first named storm , july 9 . the precursor disturbance to andrea dropped nearly 12 inches ( 300 mm ) of rain on the yucatán peninsula in a 24 - hour period . in cuba , the civil defense issued a weather alarm for pinar del río province from june 5 to june 6 . there was also a lower - level " alert " in the adjacent provinces of and . over 1 , 000 people fled their homes due to flooding , especially along the cuyaguateje river in pinar del río province . the city of las received more than 10 inches ( 250 mm ) of rainfall in 24 hours ; a few other locations reported over 8 inches ( 200 mm ) of rain . of the 24 dams in pinar del río province , six had already filled by june 5 . the disturbance spawned a tornado in that area , which damaged three homes . florida along the florida coast , storm surge produced by andrea remained relatively minor , with surge heights ranging from 2 – 4 ft ( 0 . 61 – 1 . 22 m ) across the state 's gulf coast . these measurements peaked in cedar key , where a station documented a storm surge height of 4 . 08 ft ( 1 . 24 m ) ; the same station recorded a storm tide height of 6 . 26 ft ( 1 . 91 m ) . the highest wind measurement was at a site in davis islands , which observed sustained winds of 47 mph ( 76 km / h ) . a total of 10 tornadoes were spawned in florida . near myakka city , a tornado damaged the roofs of three single family homes , six pole barns , and four outbuildings . one horse and six chickens were killed , and another horse and two dogs were injured . significant piles of debris and downed power lines covered state road 70 in myakka city . damage was estimated at $ 50 , 000 . another twister spawned in sun city center downed trees and damaged , fascia and shingles . damage reached approximately $ 36 , 000 . andrea dropped locally heavy rainfall in some areas of west central florida , with a community collaborative rain , hail and snow network ( ) station observing 6 . 17 inches ( 157 mm ) inches of precipitation near chiefland . minor street flooding was reported in several counties . near the city of coachman , the weight of saturated leaves on the roof of a dog kennel at the pinellas county humane society caused a large section of the roof to collapse . in east central florida , the storm produced about 2 – 3 inches ( 51 – 76 mm ) of rain , with isolated totals of 5 – 6 inches ( 130 – 150 mm ) over a three - day period in orange , osceola , and volusia counties . in north florida , the storm spawned a tornado at the naval station mayport in jacksonville . a number of " non - critical " structures suffered minor impact , while other buildings experienced damaged roofs and broken windows . strong winds were also observed in the area , with gusts up to 83 mph ( 134 km / h ) at the jacksonville beach pier ; this was the strongest wind gust associated with the storm . another tornado was spawned on amelia island in fernandina beach , though it caused minimal damage . of the ten tornadoes in florida , three were spawned in the southern portions of the state . in the acreage , an ef - 1 tornado caused minor to moderate roof damage to several homes , mainly in the form of shingles and roof covering torn off . numerous trees were uprooted or snapped near the trunk , along with several branches falling ; this resulted in broken windows in several homes . at one home , the garage door was damaged , causing the door to blow in , which in turn led to the roof being damaged above the garage . an 85 - year - old woman was injured after being struck by a falling branch of an oak tree , which broke through her bedroom window . a few vehicles were moved from their original locations , while a 30 feet ( 9 . 1 m ) boat was flipped on its side . another tornado in belle glade damaged an awning and downed trees and several power lines . further south , a tornado touched down in broward county and entered palm beach county before lifting back up ; it resulted in no damage . a convective band associated with tropical storm andrea moved slowly across south florida , prompting flash flood warnings for broward and miami - dade county counties . precipitation peaked at 14 . 27 inches ( 362 mm ) in north miami beach , 13 . 96 inches ( 355 mm ) of which fell in a 24 - hour period . roads became impassable in the waterways community in aventura , leaving over 50 vehicles disabled . in nearby golden beach , hundreds of people became stranded in their vehicles , according to city officials . at the biscayne bay campus of florida international university , 11 . 71 inches ( 297 mm ) of rain was observed . a number of stalled vehicles and impassable roads were reported in north miami , while 24 families were forced to evacuate due to flooding . further north in broward county , the city of hollywood was particularly hard hit , with 9 inches ( 230 mm ) of rain observed . several vehicles became disabled after retention ponds overflowed . elsewhere in north america along the coast of alabama , 13 swimmers were rescued due to strong rip currents . in georgia , the storm brought gusty winds to the coast , reaching 32 mph ( 51 km / h ) at fort pulaski . wind damage was minor , limited to mostly downed trees and power lines in several counties ; in chatham county , a falling tree struck a house . generally light rainfall was reported across much of southern and eastern georgia , though up to 5 . 34 inches ( 136 mm ) fell near richmond hill . in chatham county , a portion of u.s. route 25 was temporarily closed due to flooding . along the coast of south carolina , a storm surge of 3 . 55 feet ( 1 . 08 m ) was observed in beaufort county . a surfer in horry county went missing and was later presumed to have drowned . in several counties along the coast or just inland , trees and power lines were downed . andrea dropped light rainfall in the state , peaking at 4 . 9 inches ( 120 mm ) near cordova . the storm brought significant amounts of rainfall to north carolina in short periods of time , with a peak amount of 7 . 41 inches ( 188 mm ) near cameron . in raleigh , 5 . 14 inches ( 131 mm ) of rain fell in 24 hours , which broke the highest daily precipitation record for the city . additionally , this total exceeded the average rainfall amount for the month of june . many streams , creeks , and river overflowed in eastern north carolina , resulting in numerous street closures in several counties . the crabtree valley mall in raleigh was closed after the parking lots became inundated . a number of low - lying and creek - side communities in apex , cary , clayton , durham , and raleigh were flooded . a tornado was spawned near , where it downed several trees and damaged a large storage building . the storm produced over 5 inches ( 130 mm ) of rain in southeastern virginia , with up to 7 . 73 inches ( 196 mm ) in williamsburg . several roads in accomack county were left impassable due to high water . one indirect death occurred due to a car accident in southwestern virginia on june 7 . in maryland , rainfall in the eastern portion of the state was generally between 3 and 6 inches ( 76 and 152 mm ) . poor drainage in some areas resulted in multiple road closures in caroline and talbot counties , the latter of which reported about 20 roads shutdown . radar estimates of precipitation in delaware were between 2 and 4 inches ( 51 and 102 mm ) , while 5 . 19 inches ( 132 mm ) was observed in smyrna . flash flooding occurred in areas of poor drainage , causing several road closures , especially in central delaware . radar estimates of precipitation in eastern pennsylvania ranged from 2 to 4 inches ( 51 to 102 mm ) , with a peak of 4 . 09 inches ( 104 mm ) in langhorne . there , the neshaminy creek reached 9 feet ( 2 . 7 m ) above flood stage . in delaware county , flooding was reporting along the chester creek . heavy rainfall was reported in new jersey , amounting to more than 5 in ( 130 mm ) in . the heavy precipitation resulted in traffic jams and caused flooding along the millstone and raritan rivers . three car accidents were blamed on the storm , two of which were fatal . numerous roads flooded across the state , leading to several high - water rescues . overflowing rivers and streams in bergen and union counties flooded low - lying and poor drainage areas . the rockaway river at boonton reached 5 feet ( 1 . 5 m ) above flood stage from the afternoon of june 8 until the following morning . winds of 35 mph ( 55 km / h ) downed some trees and power lines , leaving 500 – 2 , 000 residences without power . a plane traveling from palm beach , florida to boston , massachusetts had to make an emergency landing at newark liberty international airport after being struck by lightning . in new york , 4 . 77 inches ( 121 mm ) fell at central park in new york city in only a few hours , causing flash flooding in some areas . train 3 on the new york city subway briefly suspended service from 96th street station to the 148th street station . in connecticut , the storm dropped up to 6 . 64 inches ( 169 mm ) in gales ferry , causing flash flooding in fairfield and new london counties . about 3 to 5 inches ( 76 to 127 mm ) of precipitation fell throughout rhode island , flooding many streets , several basements , and stranding a number of cars , particularly in providence county . an exit ramp of interstate 95 in providence was flooded with 1 . 5 feet ( 0 . 46 m ) of water . an estimated 3 and 5 inches ( 76 and 127 mm ) of precipitation fell in eastern massachusetts . a number of roads were inundated in bristol county , including routes 24 and 79 and the ramps onto interstate 95 . many cars were stranded in about 2 feet ( 0 . 61 m ) of water in fall river . several basements were flooded in new bedford , while several streets were flooded or left impassable . elsewhere in new england , light rainfall was observed in maine , new hampshire , and vermont . as a post - tropical cyclone , andrea brought rain and gale - force winds to atlantic canada . officials closed the confederation bridge to high - profile vehicles due to the blustery conditions . more than 4 , 000 customers in nova scotia and parts of new brunswick lost power as the storm moved through on june 8 .