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HILO, Hawaii (AP) — The Latest on tropical weather systems threatening the Southeast and Hawaii (all times Hawaii local): 7:35 a.m. HST Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency for 42 counties ahead of an expected landfall by a tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico. "By declaring a state of emergency in advance of this storm, we are ensuring that state, regional and local agencies can work together to meet the needs of our communities," Scott said in a statement Wednesday. Scott says the declaration eases access to disaster resources and funding and allows the state to seek federal assistance. The storm is currently a tropical depression though the National Weather Service says it is expected to strengthen in coming hours. The storm is forecast to eventually hit north of the Tampa Bay area, a region already beset by heavy rain and thunderstorms. ___ 7:30 a.m. HST The National Park Service says it will close Georgia's Cumberland Island to visitors ahead of a tropical system expected to eventually approach the state's Atlantic coast. The Park Service said in a news release the island will close Thursday afternoon and won't reopen until Saturday morning. The barrier island is home to roughly 15 miles of federally protected wilderness. The decision comes as the busy Labor Day weekend approaches. Cumberland Island is reachable only by boat and ferry service will shut down during the closure. The National Hurricane Center has placed the southern half of Georgia's 100-mile coast under a tropical storm watch. A tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico is forecast to strengthen and cross northern Florida and southeast Georgia between late Thursday and Friday. ___ 7:25 a.m. Drier air and strong upper atmosphere winds are weakening Hurricane Madeline as it approaches Hawaii. Central Pacific Hurricane Center forecaster Tom Evans says the storm no longer has the strong, noticeable eye that was seen Tuesday. Madeline was 140 miles southeast of the Big Island city of Hilo early Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, slower than Tuesday's 120 mph winds. The storm is on track to skirt or hit the island's southern edge, an area of ranches, small towns and Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park. Evans says the area could see hurricane-strength winds of up to 80 mph. He noted that even tropical storm-force winds downed trees and power lines when Tropical Storm Iselle hit two years ago. He says heavy rains could lead to flooding and large surf could damage coastlines. ___ 6:40 a.m. A tropical storm watch is in effect for the southern half of Georgia's 100-mile coast and a stretch of north Florida's Atlantic region. The National Hurricane Center issued the watch Tuesday morning for coastal portions of southeast Georgia and northeast Florida. It means tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours from south of Darien, Georgia, to St. Augustine, Florida. The watch area includes the Georgia cities of Brunswick and St. Marys. A tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico is forecast to strengthen to a tropical storm before making landfall Thursday night or Friday morning along the northwest coast of Florida. The storm is expected to cross northern Florida and southeast Georgia on Friday. The hurricane center says coastal Georgia could get 4 to 7 inches of rain, with up to 10 inches possible in some areas. ___ 6 a.m. Forecasters say a tropical depression has virtually stalled in the Gulf of Mexico but is expected to strengthen and then begin crawling toward Florida's Gulf coast. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the depression is located about 415 miles (665 kilometers) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, with top sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph). A hurricane watch is in effect from Florida's Anclote River just northwest of Tampa to Indian Pass in the Florida Panhandle and a tropical storm warning is in effect elsewhere from the Anclote River to the Walton Bay County line. Authorities say a tropical storm watch also has been issued for the Atlantic coast from Marineland, Florida, to Altamaha Sound, Georgia. Meanwhile, a tropical depression that skirted by North Carolina's Outer Banks overnight is now moving northeastward further out into the Atlantic. The tropical depression could become a tropical storm later Wednesday though no coastal warnings and watches are in effect for it. ___ 4 a.m. Florida officials urged residents to pay attention to a tropical depression that's expected to head toward the state's Gulf Coast. Bryan Koon, the director of the state's Division of Emergency Management, said at a news conference Tuesday morning that the storm in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to strengthen. "Tomorrow night is going to be a significant issue since it is going to pass through North/Central Florida," he said. "By the close of business today I expect this to be named storm and for us to be locked and ready." While parts of the Gulf Coast near Tampa saw heavy rain Wednesday morning, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said people should be prepared for the worst. "Our teams state wide and locally are ready. This state knows what to do," Scott said. ___ 3:20 a.m. An emergency management official says North Carolina's Outer Banks were spared from a tropical weather system that had been moving toward the state for two days. Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson writes in an email that the tropical depression resulted in "no impacts" on areas such as Cape Hatteras. A hotel manager on Ocracoke Island says residents and tourists experienced less than an inch of rain. Byron Miller, manager of The Ocracoke Harbor Inn, said in a telephone interview that "it's just a normal day." ___ 2:45 a.m. North Carolina's Outer Banks apparently will be spared from a tropical system that has been moving toward the state for days. The National Weather Service said Wednesday morning that the tropical depression was moving away from the state. Highest winds were still 35 mph. The system was about 75 miles east of Cape Hatteras and was moving to the northeast at 5 mph. A tropical storm warning for the North Carolina coast was dropped Tuesday night. Only a few clouds were reported and winds were only about 5 mph on the Outer Banks Wednesday morning. Forecasters earlier had worried the area could get up to 5 inches of rain as the storm passed near the coast. ___ This item has been corrected to show system is moving to the northeast at 5 mph, not 35 mph. ___ 1:40 a.m. Heavy rainfall is expected across much of Florida as a tropical depression looms in the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rain caused some local street flooding in South Florida on Tuesday, and more is forecast for Wednesday. National Weather Service Meteorologist Andrew Hagan says the tropical depression that's expected to become a tropical storm later Wednesday is keeping the atmosphere more moist than usual. Eric Blake of the National Hurricane Center in Miami says the storm will likely dump around 5 inches of rain on areas of central and north Florida as it approaches the state Thursday. Some areas could see up to 15 inches of rain.

The Latest: 42 Florida-county emergency declared for storm