Tropical storm Gordon made landfall Tuesday night near the Alabama/Mississippi border but the storm did not become a hurricane as it moved over land, according to the National Hurricane Center. Gordon had maximum wind speeds of 70 miles per hour with higher wind gusts as it made landfall, and the forecast says the storm will further weaken as it moves inland and become a tropical depression on Wednesday.
In anticipation of Gordon, a state of emergency was in effect for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The NHC warned that Gordon will bring dangerous storm surges, heavy rainfall that could rise to 12 inches in some areas, wind and tornadoes near the Alabama coast and the western Florida Panhandle.
According to The Associated Press, some 27,000 people lost power because of the storm, a majority of them in coastal Alabama. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said more than 3,000 people were without power in his state. At least two local curfews were issued in Mississippi ahead of the storm and a voluntary evacuation was in effect for residents of low lying areas in Hancock County.
As Gordon made landfall, a hurricane warning remained in effect for the mouth of the Pearl River to the Alabama/Florida border. The area from Biloxi, Mississippi to Dauphin Island remained under a storm surge warning while a storm surge watch is in place for east of Dauphin Island to Navarre. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Alabama/Florida border to the Okaloosa/Walton County line in Florida.
In Mississippi, the government’s emergency management agency has announced a list of shelters opening for residents who will potentially be affected by the storm. Mississippi officials said the probability of tropical force winds remains high through Wednesday.
In Louisiana, the National Weather Service office in Shreveport had warned that widespread flooding is not anticipated with Gordon’s remnants through the week but flooding of poor drainage and flood prone areas cannot be ruled out. As Gordon weakens, wind gusts will be possible across parts of northeast Louisiana and south central Arkansas but the NWS forecast did not call for sustained tropical storm force winds.
The NWS in Shreveport is also forecasting two to four inches of rain beginning Wednesday and continuing through Friday along and northeast from Columbia and Monroe, Louisiana to near Broken Bow, Oklahoma. However, the office warned that if Gordon tracks further west than anticipated, heavy rainfall will be likely and flash flood watches may have to be issued.
Along with Gordon, the NHC is also monitoring Hurricane Florence, the third hurricane of the Atlantic season. Florence is now a category two hurricane in the Atlantic ocean but is expected to weaken by the week’s end. There are no hazards to land from Florence.
This report is being updated. Check back for more.
Photo: Charles Phanthapannha stands in the rain outside a bar as Tropical Storm Gordon approaches on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018 in Mobile, Ala. Tropical-force winds from fast-moving Gordon smashed into the coastline of Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle on Tuesday evening, the frontal edge of a system just offshore that forecasters warned could become a hurricane by the time it makes landfall. Photo by Dan Anderson/Associated Press
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