Tropical Storm Cindy Saturates the Gulf Coast

   From the Florida Panhandle to eastern Texas, residents and government officials along the northern Gulf Coast are keeping an eye on slow-moving Tropical Storm Cindy, which the National Weather Service said posed a threat of "life-threatening flash flooding."Rain bands from the weather disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico began pushing ashore Tuesday. Cindy is on a lumbering track taking its center toward southwestern Louisiana and eastern Texas. But the heavy rains are on its east side, meaning the major rain threat — perhaps a foot or more of rain by Thursday — stretched from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Montgomery City/County EMA Director Christina Thornton says the rain will be the issue for Central Alabama.Cindy's maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph this morning with slight weakening expected to begin Thursday. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency yesterday because of the threat of torrential rains and other severe weather, including dangerous high tides and rip currents.