Season's 1st storm ... barely

The wait is over.

Just 11 days into the 2006 hurricane season, Southwest Floridians got their first taste of trouble with the naming of the first storm of the season, Tropical Storm Alberto.

But even as Alberto churned in the Gulf of Mexico, sending treacherous rain bands into Collier County throughout the weekend, many residents remained calm, comforted by the knowledge that their preparations are already done.

"We're ready for this, and for the whole season," Naples resident Earl Stultz said during a trip to Home Depot on Airport-Pulling Road on Sunday. "We already did our little hurricane kit, and bought two generators. We just came here to get some gloves."

Stultz and his girlfriend, Maria Ayala, said they aren't sweating the storm that is expected to hit Florida on Tuesday. In fact, the couple said they will welcome the rain, in light of the county's dry conditions during the past few months.

"I don't think (Alberto) is really going to do any damage," Ayala said. "A little rain, a little wind, but nothing too damaging."

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center tend to agree with Ayala. According to discussions on their Web page, meteorologists believe the storm should make a northeast turn, pushing it toward Cedar Key and the Florida Panhandle.

Associated Press

Delvin Rahynes plays with an umbrella that the wind blew inside out while it rains outside the Ocean Walk Shoppes in Daytona Beach on Sunday. The rain was brought by Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2006 hurricane season.

NBC-2 Meteorologist Meghan Danahey said the storm has slowed, and is predicted to make landfall in northeastern Florida at around 1 p.m. Tuesday. If, she said, it makes landfall at all.

"It's a little tricky right now, to be honest," Danahey said. "The system is already stressed ... and the environment the storm is in is hostile, so there is a question of whether it will be able to hold together."

If the storm continues to weaken, as meteorologists have suggested it has, it could fall apart, sending heavy rain inland before it evaporates into the Gulf.

As of Sunday evening, though, tropical storm and flood watches continued to be in effect for Lee County. So far, Collier County has not been included in any of the watches.

Danahey said Collier residents can expect 4 to 6 inches of rain from Alberto. Lee County will likely get 4 to 8 inches, she said.

Wind gusts topped out at about 45 mph Sunday, which should be the most Southwest Florida can expect to get from Alberto, Danahey said.

Whether Alberto remains an active tropical storm or not, Danahey said residents should stay prepared for the possibility of tornadoes spawned from the weather system.

Whatever happens, Chalisa Griffin, assistant manager at Home Depot, said there was no cause for alarm at her store Sunday.

"After (Hurricane) Charley, any storm that hit the water caused people to panic," she said. "But when they came one right after the other, people started preparing more."

Last year's hurricane season was the most destructive and busiest on record. Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and Mississippi and was blamed for more than 1,570 deaths among Louisiana residents alone.

Scientists predict the 2006 season could produce up to 16 named storms, six of them major hurricanes. The forecast is a breath of fresh air for residents in the southeast portion of the United States, who dealt with 28 named storms and 15 hurricanes last year.

Meteorologists have said the Atlantic is not as warm now as it was at this time in 2005, meaning potential storms would have less of the energy needed to develop into hurricanes.

Last year, the first named storm of the season was Tropical Storm Arlene, which formed June 9, 2005, and made landfall just west of Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle — the first of two tropical storms and four hurricanes to target Florida last year.

Endangered sea turtles are also set to weather this storm with little bother.

Eve Haverfield, who keeps tabs on sea turtle nests on Bonita Beach and Fort Myers Beach for Turtle Time, said the sea creatures built their nests high above the surf line this year.

"The turtles all chose to nest up by the dunes where even if we have relatively high surf, even those nests will be relatively said," Haverfield said, pointing out that turtles built a total of 14 nests on Bonita and Fort Myers beaches so far this year.

She said the beach should also drain well in the storm because it has not endured a lot of heavy rain this year.

While the storm might not cause widespread damage to people or sea turtles, downpours do cause a few more accidents on the road.

"We always end up with a few more crashes as a result of the wet weather," King said. "People get a little careless."

Trish Keppen, communications supervisor for the Lee County Sheriff's Office, said about 10 traffic accidents were recorded in Lee County. She said some were likely weather related and two were hit-and-runs.

The rain is also causing people to buy more rain gear and sump pumps at the Home Depot in Bonita Springs, said Chuck Cooper, assistant store manager.

He said most people are not buying last minute hurricane supplies.

"I don't see anything crazy yet," Cooper said.

TA and Judy Ward moved to their new home at Pelican Bay just in time to greet the first named storm of the year.

The Pittsburgh couple loaded up their SUV Sunday with a step ladder and a bunch of cleaning supplies to fix up the new place, but there weren't any generators, sheets of plywood or stashes of batteries in their load because they plan to weather out most of the hurricane season in Pittsburgh.

"We did kind of laugh about finally buying a place in Florida and seeing the headline (about the tropical storm) this morning," Judy Ward said.

Staff writer Kate Spinner contributed to this report.