Threat to La. lessens

MIAMI, June 24 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Debby was 100 miles south-southwest of Appalachicola, Fla, at 4 p.m. Sunday, heading northeast at 3 mph, U.S. forecasters said.

Tropical storm conditions prevailed for parts of the northeast coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said, but the threat to Louisiana lessened.

Maximum sustained winds remained near 60 mph, with some strengthening possible during the next two days. Tropical force winds extended outward up to 200 miles from the center of the storm.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for

A warning was in effort for the Mississippi-Alabama border east to the Suwannee River in Florida.

Tropical storm conditions were expected to reach the rest of the warning area Sunday night, the center said.

Various oil companies evacuated nine production platforms and one drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico Saturday, the Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal reported.