Tropical Storm Watch Issued for South Florida; Alex Expected to Form by Friday Evening, Forecasters Say

Orange County Public Works pump station manager Reginald Peoples clears a storm drainage grate of debris with foreman Lee Owens (L) at Bonnie Brook in Orlando, Fla., on June 2, 2022, as Central Florida readies for the possibility of heavy rainfall from the Gulf of Mexico this weekend following the remnants of Hurricane Agatha that hit southern Mexico on May 30, 2022. Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

By Chris Perkins, Robin Webb and Angie DiMichele From South Florida Sun Sentinel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—South Florida is now under a tropical storm watch as potential Tropical Storm Alex is expected to bring heavy rains and flooding to the state starting Friday evening through Saturday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.