ORLANDO, Fla. -- The projected path of Tropical Storm Barry brings the right side of the system over Central Florida early Saturday, producing the possibility of severe weather, including some isolated tornadoes, according to Local 6 meteorologist Larry Mowry said.

"That is going to be the biggest threat for us, the possibility of seeing a few spin-up tornadoes as this rain rolls in here tonight and during the day Saturday," Mowry said.

Mowry said most of the rain is falling on the northern and eastern side of the system.

"We got the heavy rain spreading into our area and it is going to be a soaker overnight and during Saturday," Mowry said.

The storm was centered about 270 miles southwest of Tampa and about 195 miles west of Key West at about 11 p.m.

Barry's projected path shows the storm producing 45 mph winds off the west coast of Florida Saturday at 2 a.m.

The track then takes the storm into north Florida and southern Georgia later Saturday.

"We are going to be on the right-hand side of the storm, and you have followed hurricanes and tropical storms over the past years, you know that the right hand side of the storm is where oftentimes you see the potential for severe weather in the form of tornadoes," Mowry said.

"We're not looking for a hurricane," said Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Warnings Issued

Forecasters issued a tropical storm warning, which means tropical storm conditions are expected in the next day, for the Gulf Coast from Bonita Beach to Keaton Beach. A less severe tropical storm watch, meaning such conditions were expected within 36 hours, was issued from north of Keaton Beach to St. Marks.

Barry's maximum sustained winds were about 45 mph. The hurricane center said it threatened to bring dangerous battering waves, coastal flooding of up to 5 feet and rainfall of 3 to 6 inches in the Florida Keys up through southeast Georgia.

Tropical Storm Barry formed more than three weeks after the first named storm of the year -- Subtropical Storm Andrea -- developed about 150 miles northeast of Daytona Beach. Andrea skirted the southern Atlantic coast but caused minimal damage.

First Day Of Hurricane Season

Word of the storm's development came on the first official day of a hurricane season 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 of them becoming hurricanes and three to five of them in the strong category.

Roberts said it was "coincidence, maybe" that the storm formed on the first day of the season.

Florida is facing one of its worst droughts on record, but the tropical weather wasn't expected to ease conditions much.

"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. "To really alleviate the drought conditions we're going to need anywhere from 30 to 40 inches of rain."

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.