S. Florida readies for Tropical Storm Fay

MIAMI, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- South Florida was bracing Monday for the arrival of Tropical Storm Fay, with schools closed, tourists evacuating and the National Guard on alert.

Fay was predicted to move off Cuba's northwest coast Monday and move over warm Gulf of Mexico waters as it approaches the Florida's Lower Keys either as a tropical storm or Category 1 hurricane, The Miami Herald reported.

The newest forecast from the National Hurricane Center in Miami shows Fay making landfall somewhere between Tampa and the Big Bend Tuesday.

"A small change in the track of the storm could make a big difference in the eventual landfall location," senior hurricane specialist Jack Beven told the Herald.

Forecasters said South Florida should expect downpours throughout the day Monday.

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona canceled a fundraiser in Miami, the Herald reported. Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward county schools canceled classes, government offices and courthouses closed and tourists were told to leave the Keys. Insurance companies also stopped writing new policies. Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency Saturday and mobilized the National Guard.