Slow-moving Fay drenching Florida

PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (CNN) - Tropical Storm Fay, stalled near Cape Canaveral, Florida, soaked portions of east-central Florida late Wednesday afternoon, and the National Hurricane Center said it could dump up to 30 inches of rain in some areas of the state.

NASA reported receiving 21 total inches of rain so far from the storm, Craig Fugate, Florida's emergency management director, said. Forecasters said they received an unofficial report of 22 inches northwest of Melbourne, Florida.

The storm prompted Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to ask President Bush to declare an emergency in the state to free up federal funding.  The storm "is producing historic flooding across a large portion of Brevard County," the governor said in his Wednesday request to the president. "Fay has and will continue to produce copious amounts of rain over a large portion of northeast Florida as the storm turns westward on August 21."