ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tropical Depression Barry continued to weaken Saturday night as it moved through the state, brining more than 5 inches of rain to parts of drought-parched Central Florida.

Forecasters discontinued the tropical storm warnings and watches issued for stretches of the Gulf Coast. The depression's sustained winds had slowed to near 35 mph and it was moving north-northeast at about 23 mph.

The storm made landfall in the Tampa Bay area around 10 a.m. EDT, according to Daniel Brown, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center.

"The landfall in a case like this is kind of insignificant," Brown said.

Flooding In Brevard

Tropical Storm Barry dumped more than 5 inches of rain in some areas, causing some flooding in neighborhoods.

Local 6 reported that the flooding was reported in southern Brevard County in the Palm Bay, Melbourne and Satellite Beach areas.

"This is some serious flooding that has been occurring in the Melbourne area because of this very heavy rain that has come down so quickly," Local 6 meteorologist Larry Mowry said. "So far, in Melbourne, more than 5 inches of rain has fallen and we are getting reports of flooding in the Melbourne area, in particular (near) the Eau Gallie Causeway."

Melbourne police reported 3 feet of water near U.S. 1, just north of the airport.

Winds recorded in Brevard County have been gusting up to 40 mph.

Rain Eases Dry Land

Rain was falling throughout drought-stricken Florida and Georgia, where the dry conditions have fed wildfires for weeks.

"We're hoping several of these fires will not be a problem anymore," said the Florida Division of Forestry's Mike Newell.

"It's too early to tell right now. Everybody's basically waiting for the rain to stop to go out and see what's going on."

The depression was expected to drop 3 to 6 inches of rain on parts of those states, along with South Carolina and North Carolina on Saturday. Isolated areas could get up to 10 inches of rain.

"This is a blessing," said Bob Buning, an employee at MacRae's Bait Shop in Homosassa. "We needed this rain really bad."

Anglers and recreational boaters had taken back to the Homosassa River by Saturday afternoon.

The National Weather Service said isolated tornadoes over central Florida were possible. By Saturday morning, Barry had brought nearly 6 inches of rain to Melbourne and nearly 7 inches to West Palm Beach.

"It'll help a little bit, but everyone is so far below rainfall that we're still going to be under drought conditions," said Kim Brabander, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. She said 30 to 40 inches of rain was needed.

First Day Storm

The storm developed Friday, the first official day of a hurricane season that forecasters have said they expect to be busier than normal.

The National Weather Service said it expects 13 to 17 tropical storms, with seven to 10 becoming hurricanes and three to five in the strong category.

Barry formed more than three weeks after the first named storm of the year -- Subtropical Storm Andrea -- developed off Florida's eastern coast. Andrea skirted the southern Atlantic coast but caused minimal damage.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.