Tropical Storm Alberto forms in Gulf

Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, developed Sunday from a poorly organized tropical depression in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said.

The storm had maximum sustained winds near 45 mph — up 10 mph from early in the morning — and was expected to strengthen, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Alberto was located about 400 miles west of Key West and about 445 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, and moving northwest near 9 mph, forecasters said.

It was expected to veer toward central or northern Florida, where it could make landfall early Tuesday, forecasters said. Boaters were warned to stay in port, as up to 8 inches of rain could fall over the Florida Keys and the state's Gulf Coast before Alberto nears the peninsula, according to the hurricane center.