MIAMI, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- At least two people were killed by falling trees Thursday as Hurricane Katrina came ashore on Florida's east coast with 80 mph winds.
Both deaths were in Plantation in the Fort Lauderdale area.
One man died when a large ficus tree fell on his car. Another man was outside checking on his house when he was killed, WPLG Channel 10 reported.
Katrina, upgraded from a tropical storm as it headed across the Florida Strait, made land at about 7 p.m. EDT. The National Hurricane Center reported sustained winds of 75 to 80 miles per hour with some higher gusts.
The storm was expected to move slowly west across Florida at about 6 mph, dumping several inches of rain overnight.
A hurricane warning remained in effect for the east coast of Florida south of Vero Beach and the northern and middle Keys. A tropical storm warning was posted for the southern keys, including Key West, Florida Bay and the west coast.
While high winds and surf were expected to batter the east coast overnight, forecasters said Katrina was likely to be more of a rainmaker. They predicted 6 to 8 inches for most of South Florida with amounts of more than a foot possible in a few places.
Summer is the rainy season in Florida, but Katrina was expected to bring far more than the usual daily thunderstorms.
