Tropical Storm picks up speed while tracking toward Florida

Tropical Storm Bonnie picked up speed while moving along a west-northwesterly track toward Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, reaching maximum sustained winds of 46 mph/40 kt, with wind gusts of up to 75 mph/65 kt. The storm system is currently located approximately 130 mi/210 km southeast of Miami, Florida, and approximately 120 mi/193 km east of Marathon, Florida. According to meteorologists at Wilkens Weather Technologies, Bonnie is expected to move near or over the Florida Keys and southern Florida on 23 July and will affect eastern areas of the Gulf late that evening. The storm is projected to continue moving in a west-northwesterly direction for the next 48 hours, making landfall on the Louisiana coast on the morning of 25 July. Authorities expect the system to strengthen slowly until it makes landfall in eastern Louisiana, when it is expected to weaken significantly.