BREAKING: Tropical Storm Cindy hits Louisiana

(CNN) -- Tropical Storm Cindy came ashore in southern Louisiana early Wednesday with punishing winds of 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

The powerful tropical storm was expected to dump up to 10 inches of rain on the Gulf Coast and Southeastern United States as it moves inland.

Capt. Mike Sanders with the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff´s Office said the southeastern Louisiana coastal community is holding up well under the onslaught.

"No reports of injuries, water in homes," he said. "A very major inconvenience, but we´re very blessed that Cindy seems to be moving and not stalling, and that was our main concern."

Meanwhile, out in the southeastern Caribbean, another tropical storm -- Dennis -- continued to strengthen as it moved west, prompting Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands to post watches and warnings. Forecasters said the storm could be a hurricane by Wednesday, with Cuba directly in its forecast path.

As of 5 a.m. EDT, the storm was 25 miles east-northeast of New Orleans, moving north-northeast at about 14 mph and setting a path likely to take it through Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

After landfall, Cindy´s winds weakened from 70 mph to 60 mph, but the storm´s heavy rains could cause flooding.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms began pounding the Gulf Coast on Tuesday afternoon, with tornado watches and flood warnings posted as far east as the Florida Panhandle.

Col. Perry Ebbert, the director of Homeland Security in New Orleans, said the Big Easy could get hit with as much as 6 inches of rain and even more in low-lying areas, potentially creating heavy flooding.

"Even at 70 miles per hour, we shouldn´t have any major wind damage. But living in a bowl down here, we´re always concerned about lots of rainwater," he said.

He noted that the city is below sea level and that anytime the city gets soaked by heavy rains, officials have to pump the water out to Lake Pontchartrain or the Mississippi River.

Tropical storm warnings were posted from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Destin, Florida, and a tropical storm watch extended from Destin to Indian Pass, Florida.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Dennis grew in intensity late Tuesday, with forecasters predicting it would continue to gather steam and become the first full-fledged hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic season by Wednesday.

As of 5 a.m. EDT, Dennis, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, was centered 275 miles south-southeast of Port au-Prince, Haiti and was 475 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, moving west-northwest at nearly 16 mph.

Forecasters predicted the storm would stay on that general path for the next 24 hours, which would keep the center over open water between the island of Hispanola (which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Jamaica.

Authorities in Haiti posted a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch along that country´s southwestern peninsula. Nearly 3,000 Haitians died in flooding and landslides after Tropical Storm Jeanne hit in 2004, and Dennis was expected to dump 4 to 6 inches of rain over much of the island, with some areas getting up to 10 inches.

The Dominican Republic issued a tropical storm warning for much of its southern coast, and Jamaica also issued a hurricane watch. The government of the Cayman Islands issued a hurricane watch late Tuesday.

The government of Cuba has issued a hurricane watch for eastern Cuba, including the provinces of Las Tunas, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin.

Dennis´ formation makes July 5 the earliest date in recorded tropical storm history that four named storms have formed in the Atlantic basin, the hurricane center said. Tropical storms Arlene and Bret preceded Dennis and Cindy, but neither reached hurricane strength.