Tropical Storm Katrina has been upgraded to a hurricane as it bears down on the southeastern U.S. state of Florida, on a path toward cities along the Atlantic coast.
At last report, the 11th named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season was 40 kilometers east-northeast of Fort Lauderdale, a popular destination for tourists. Katrina had winds of 120 kilometers per hour.
Many Florida residents are stocking up on gasoline, water and other supplies in preparation for the storm, which formed Wednesday over the Bahamas. Katrina is expected to make landfall late Thursday or early Friday.
Forecasters warn the storm could dump several centimeters of rain in spots as it moves over the state toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Some information for this story provided by AP and AFP.
