BAY AREA- Tropical Storm Fay continues to be a threat for the Tampa Bay Area.

As of 11am Tuesday, Fay has maximum sustained winds near 60 mph. Fay’s center of circulation made landfall south of Naples around 4:45am, and is moving north-northeast at 9 miles an hour.

A Tornado Watch and Flood Watch is in effect for Polk, DeSoto, Hardee, and Highlands Counties.

As of now, it looks like our southern counties will face the brunt of the storm. Fay is slowing down, which means the storm will be over the state longer, increasing the rain totals and the potential for flooding.

Governor Charlie Crist has ordered a state of emergency for Florida. This puts the national guard on high alert and allows state officials to order evacuations and recovery supplies if needed.

We at TampaBayNewsOnline.com are monitoring the storm around the clock, and will update you when we get new information. Stay with us!

View some of our tropical update videos on our YouTube page here.