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Subtropical Storm Alberto lumbered ashore Monday on the U.S. Gulf Coast, pelting white sand beaches with blustery winds and stinging rain that kept the usual Memorial Day crowds away.
Forecasters warned heavy rain, flash flooding and dangerous surf posed the biggest threats as Alberto's ragged core made landfall near Laguna Beach in the Florida Panhandle. A few brief tornadoes also were possible in much of Florida and parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 5 p.m. EDT Monday that Alberto was centered about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west-northwest of Panama City, Florida. With maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph), Alberto was moving north at 9 mph (14 kph).
Rough conditions were whipping up big waves off the eastern and northern Gulf Coast, and authorities warned swimmers to stay out of the surf because of life-threatening swells and rip currents.
Between four and eight inches (10-25 centimeters) of rain could pummel Florida Panhandle, eastern and central Alabama, and western Georgia before the storm moves on. Isolated deluges of 12 inches (30 centimeters) also were possible as the storm heads inland, threatening heavy rains around the Southeast in the coming hours and days.
As Alberto's center heads inland — deprived of the warm waters that fuel tropical weather systems — the storm was expected to steadily weaken. A subtropical storm like Alberto has a less defined and cooler center than a tropical storm, and its strongest winds are found farther from its center. A tropical storm warning is in effect for a stretch of coastline between Aucilla River in Florida's Big Bend and the Alabama-Florida border.
Lifeguards posted red flags along the white sands of Pensacola Beach, where swimming and wading were banned.
Meanwhile, the storm forced some Memorial Day tributes to be cancelled across Florida's Panhandle. Safety was the priority, but the decision was still a "heartbreaker," said Tom Rice, a 29-year-old Army veteran who leads the organizations that planned a ceremony Monday at Beal Memorial Cemetery in Fort Walton Beach.
Some stragglers still made their way through the rain to pay tribute at the cemetery's Veterans Tribute Tower, however. Rice said American flags had been placed Saturday on the graves of all 1,700 veterans buried in the cemetery.
"We got the flags out," Rice told the Northwest Florida Daily News as wind whipped a massive U.S. flag flying at half-staff. "That's what's important."
Along the Florida Panhandle coast known for its pristine beaches, tourists vowed Alberto wouldn't dampen their vacations.
Jason Powell said he was seeking to keep his children entertained until Alberto blows past his Panhandle vacation spot.
"So far we've seen a lot of wind and the ocean is really high, covering up the entire beach," Powell said. "We're not letting it ruin our vacation ... we're going to watch some movies inside and a little TV, and hopefully maybe even get into the pool" despite the rain.
Janet Rhumes said her group of friends from Kansas had been planning their Memorial Day weekend on Navarre Beach since October. They stocked up on groceries and planned to play card games. No storm could deter them.
"We've never seen one before and we're here celebrating a friend's 20th birthday," Rhumes told the Daily News. "So how often can you say you rode a storm out?"
The mayor of Orange Beach, on Alabama's Gulf Coast, said Alberto brought rain and aggravation — and dashed hopes for record Memorial Day crowds. Instead, red flags flew on Alabama beaches and officers patrolled, making sure no one entered the water.
Elsewhere, Florida's Division of Emergency Management said, about 2,600 customers were without power in northwestern Florida on Monday morning.
Scarlett Rustemeyer, a barista at the Fosko Coffee Barre in Pensacola Beach, said she always frets about power outages whenever storms bluster through.
"My boyfriend and I usually try to go to the store and stock up on lots of bottled water, and get like canned goods and things that won't go bad if our power goes out," she said.
Alberto, the first named storm of 2018, got an early jump on the Atlantic hurricane season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the annual hurricane season forecast Thursday in which they call for 10 to 16 named storms, with five to nine hurricanes. One to four hurricanes could be "major" with sustained winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph).
If that forecast holds, it would make for a near-normal or above-normal season. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.
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Kay reported from Miami Beach, Florida. Associated Press writer Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed to this story.

A Morgan City man pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Lafayette to failing to report more than $250,000 in income on his 2012 tax return, U.S. Attorney David Joseph said in a news release.

The same man, who's a former chairman of the Morgan City Housing Authority Board, was convicted in Baton Rouge earlier in May of insider trading in connection with the acquisition of Shaw Group in 2012.

On Wednesday, Victory Nam Ho, 39, of Morgan City, pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol Whitehurst . The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote, Joseph said.

According to the guilty plea, Ho engaged in stock transactions and made $251,196 in 2012, but when he filed his taxes, he reported $14,742 as his income. As a result, he paid no income tax that year, which resulted in a loss of $69,167 to the U.S. Treasury.

Ho faces up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release, restitution and a $100,000 fine. His sentencing date is set for Aug. 31.

The IRS conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly P. Uebinger is prosecuting the case.

In August 2016, Ho resigned from the housing authority board following a drug arrest.

Earlier this month, Ho; Kelly Liu, 32, and Salvador Russo III, 35, both of Baton Rouge; were convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud, commonly known as insider trading in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana in Baton Rouge.

Ho made about $300,000 from the illegal insider trading activities, according to authorities.

In late July 2012, Shaw and Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, known as CB&I, came to an agreement whereby CB&I acquired all outstanding shares of Shaw stock. The merger between the two companies was publicly announced July 30, 2012. As a result of the public announcement, Shaw’s stock price rose substantially, a release said.

As the evidence established, prior to the public announcement and through her job at Shaw, Liu obtained inside information that Shaw was being acquired by another company and passed the inside information to Ho, through another individual, and to Russo, for their use in trading Shaw securities, the news release said.

Later, Ho and Russo allegedly purchased Shaw securities before the public announcement. Ho sold his Shaw securities after the public announcement had caused Shaw’s stock price to rise, while Russo held his Shaw securities

George Oubre Sr., 72, a native of Morgan City and resident of Franklin, died Sunday, May 13, 2018 at Ochsner Foundation Hospital in Jefferson.
He is survived by three sons, George Oubre Jr. of Franklin, Joey Oubre of Vallejo, California and Brendan Oubre of Franklin; three grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; three brothers, Euley Oubre of Stephensville, Gregory Oubre of Patterson and Tracy Oubre of Bayou Vista; two sisters, Vera Kirkland and Nicky Hafer, both of Bayou Vista; and stepfather, C.J. Trahan of Bayou Vista.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife and a son.
Private family services will be held at a later date.
Twin City Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Gayle Middleton Harris, 64, a native of Morgan City and resident of Beaumont, Texas, died Monday, May 14, 2018 at Baptist Beaumont Hospital.
Visitation will be Saturday, 8-10:30 a.m., at Jones Funeral Home in Morgan City, with an 11 a.m. Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Burial will follow in the Morgan City Cemetery.
She is survived by two children, Leslie Edmondson of Killeen, Texas and Courtney Greer of Beaumont, Texas; two siblings, Phil Middleton and Carl Middleton, both of Morgan City; eight grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a host of other relatives.
She was preceded in death by her husband and her parents.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.