CEDAR KEY, Fla. - The first tropical storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season pelted Florida's gulf coast with rain Tuesday, but forecasters said Alberto wouldn't reach hurricane strength as earlier feared. The National Hurricane Center downgraded its hurricane warning on parts of Florida's Gulf Coast to a tropical storm warning midmorning.
Alberto's top sustained winds had dropped to 50 mph, well below the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane.
