Tropical Storm Lee forms in Gulf of Mexico

MIAMI (AP) - Tropical Storm Lee has formed out of a rainy weather system off Louisiana, threatening a drenching along much of the U.S. Gulf coast over the Labor Day weekend.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the center of Lee was about 200 miles (320 km) southeast of Cameron, La., and moving northwest at just 2 mph (4 kph).

Lee is the 12th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Its center is expected to approach the Louisiana coast over the weekend.

Tropical storm warnings were issued from Mississippi to Texas, including New Orleans, and flash flood warnings extended along the Alabama coast into the Florida Panhandle. The National Hurricane Center said the system will dump 10 to 15 inches of rain over southern areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama through Sunday and as much as 20 inches in some spots.