Florida braces for storms Claudette, Bill

(NECN/ABC) – Residents along the Florida Panhandle were bracing for Claudette on Sunday, which was brewing in the Gulf of Mexico and likely to become the first tropical storm to strike the U.S. mainland this year. Shoppers cleared shelves of emergency supplies, like water and batteries. “We’re already starting to see customer interest in hurricane related items,” Home Depot employee Steve Caldwell said. “The Gulf is more primed than unusual for intensification this year, and that’s what Claudette is showing us,” AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Bastardi said. Two more tropical storms are already lining up in the Atlantic Ocean — destination U.S.A. Ana has top sustained winds of 40-miles per hour. Then there is Tropical Storm Bill. “I think Bill is gonna be a major hurricane,” Bastardi said. “Bill may cause great wailing and gnashing of teeth among forecasters next weekend at this time. Anywhere between the Carolinas and the Canadian Maritimes, keep an eye out for it.” It is not often that the first big storms of the Hurricane Season come this late. But it has happened before, like in 1992. Andrew formed on August 17th. Within days it became a Category Five hurricane, devastating Southern Florida. “It’s just not all about numbers alone anyway. It just takes one hurricane over your community to make for a bad year,” hurricane expert Max Mayfield said. ABC’s Clayton Sandell reports.