Last update 7:28 a.m. ET
(CBS/AP) MIAMI - Tropical Storm Debby is bringing drenching rain and 50-mph winds to parts of the Gulf Coast, and it doesn't appear to be going anywhere.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect for parts of Florida as the storm parked offshore; a tropical storm warning for the coast of Alabama was discontinued early Monday.
The storm has produced isolated tornadoes and water spouts in Florida, and at least one person has been killed. Another person is missing after being lost in the waves off of the Alabama coast.
The damage could go on for days, because the storm is sitting just offshore and barely moving. Its slow progress means the most pressing threat from the storm is flooding, not wind.
CBS News hurricane consultant David Bernard, of CBS Station WFOR in Miami said the storm is probably not going to go anywhere any time fast.
"The big issue has been rainfall," Bernard told "CBS This Morning." A public advisory said parts of northern Florida could get 10 to 15 inches of rain, with some areas getting as much as 25 inches.
Coastal South Carolina and Georgia could also see well over another foot of rain.
Residents in several counties near the crook of Florida's elbow were urged to leave low-lying neighborhoods because of the threat of flooding. High winds forced the closure of an interstate bridge that spans Tampa Bay and links St. Petersburg with areas to the southeast. In several locations, homes and businesses were damaged by high winds authorities believe were from tornadoes.
Debby's center was essentially stationary about 90 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Fla., early Monday. Debby's top sustained winds decreased to near 50 mph. The forecast map indicated the storm could inch forward through the week, eventually coming ashore over the Panhandle. However, a storm's path is difficult to discern days in advance.
Tropical Storm Debby blamed for 1 death so far
Tropical Storm warnings for Debby revised
Underscoring the unpredictable nature of tropical storms, forecasters discontinued a tropical storm warning Sunday afternoon for Louisiana after forecast models indicated Debby wasn't likely to turn west. At one point, forecasters expected the storm to come ashore in that state.
"There are always going to be errors in making predictions. There is never going to be a perfect forecast," said Chris Landsea, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center.
Below: Video taken of a waterspout off Jupiter, Fla.
The Highlands County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that several tornadoes moved through the area southeast of Tampa, damaging homes.
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Nell Hays said a woman was found dead in a house in Venus that was destroyed in the storm. A child found in the same house was taken to the hospital. No further information was available on the child's condition or either person's age.
Authorities urged residents to leave low-lying neighborhoods in Franklin, Taylor and Wakulla counties because of flooding. Shelters were open in the area.
Wind tore the roof off a marina in St. Pete Beach, and a pier was heavily damaged, said Tom Iovino, a Pinellas County government spokesman. He said no injuries were reported.
In Orange Beach, Ala., a 32-year-old man disappeared Sunday in rough surf kicked up by the storm, said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Torry James. Further information wasn't immediately available.
As of Sunday, 23 percent of oil and gas production in the region had been suspended, according to a government hurricane response team. Employees have been evacuated from 13 drilling rigs and 61 production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm was not expected to result in higher oil and gas prices.
"It's largely a non-event for oil," said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service.
