Julia Moves Slowly Through Florida, Georgia

Tropical Storm Julia dumped heavy rains as it moved slowly north along the coastline of northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia early on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The forecasting body warned that the downpours and wind gusts of 40 mph (65 kph) could force evacuations in low-lying areas near the shoreline and along waterways from Jacksonville, Florida, to Brunswick, Georgia.

"These wind speeds are the equivalent of a strong afternoon thunderstorm or a very strong local northeaster but will last for several hours," its advisory read.

Julia, the 10th named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, is expected to weaken to a tropical depression by late Wednesday as it moved north at 7 mph, the center said.

At 5 a.m. local time, Storm Julia was located about 25 miles (45 km) southwest of Brunswick, Georgia, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour, the Miami-based hurricane center said.

The storm was expected to produce as much as 10 inches of rain on the northeastern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina coastlines through Friday, raising the possibility of flash flooding, the center said.

A tropical storm warning was in effect from Fernandina Beach, Florida north to the Altamaha Sound in Georgia.

Reporting by Swati Verma in Bengaluru and Brendan O'Brien