Tropical Storm Beryl moved across northeastern Florida early Monday, bringing drenching rains, driving winds and the threat of flooding to the southeastern U.S. coast, forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that the center of Beryl made landfall near Jacksonville Beach at around 12:10 a.m., with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph (113 kph).

The weather system was expected to continue dumping rain over parts of Florida and Georgia on Monday. It should weaken as it moves inland Monday and Tuesday, and as a frontal system comes down from the Great Lakes, Beryl will move out into the Atlantic Ocean.

"We're seeing about the best that Beryl has right now as far as its winds are concerned, with winds about 70 mph," forecaster Al Sandrik said in an audio briefing late Sunday. "The model shows significant weakening of the storm in 12 hours."

In the meantime, tropical storm warnings remained in effect early Monday for coastal areas from Flagler Beach, Fla.