Tropical Storm Gaston swept ashore in South Carolina on Sunday with near-hurricane force winds and sheets of rain that knocked down trees, downed power lines and left low-lying streets waist-deep in water. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Gaston weakened sharply as it made landfall late morning, and was about 75 miles (120 km) south of the town of Florence by 2 p.m. (1800 GMT) with winds of just 45 mph (72 kph). Far out at sea, meanwhile, powerful Hurricane Frances was expected to gain more strength on Sunday and become a top level Category 5 storm capable of causing catastrophic damage. With winds of 135 mph (215 kph), Frances swirled across the Atlantic on a path that that would take it north of the vulnerable islands of the eastern Caribbean early this week. Even though Gaston quickly fizzled, the storm brought havoc to some people along the South Carolina coast and Gov. Mark Sanford declared a state of emergency. Forecasters said Gaston, which formed quickly on Saturday, bore sustained winds of 70 mph (113 kph) and gusts exceeding 80 mph (130 kph) when it swept over the Isle of Palms, a barrier island north of the city of Charleston, and onto the mainland. --more 2324 Local Time 2024 GMT
