The center of Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall just west of the Mississippi-Alabama border tonight, moving toward the northwest at about 14 mph (22 kph), with a small decrease in its forward speed expected over the next couple days.
On the forecast track, the center of Gordon will move inland across the lower Mississippi Valley through Wednesday, when a turn toward the north-northwest and north is expected to occur on Friday. Gordon is packing sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) the Miami-based weather forecaster said.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles (130 kilometers) from the center. A NOAA Coastal Marine Observing site on Dauphin Island, Alabama has measured a sustained wind of 57 mph (91 kph) with a gust to 72 mph (117 kph). The latest minimum central pressure as estimated from NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft data is 997 MB (29.44 inches).
The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. Should storm surge hit at high tide, expect water heights from one to three feet above normal in the mouth of the Mississippi River, and two to four feet from Biloxi to the Alabama/Florida Border.
The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves. Rainfall accumulations from 4 to 8 inches are forecast over the western Florida Panhandle, southwest Alabama, southern and central Mississippi, northeastern Louisiana, and southern Arkansas – with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches through Thursday.
There could be a tornado or two possible tonight near the coasts of Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.Please pay attention to local forecasts for emergency notifications and remember to never drive through standing or flowing water.