Tropical-force winds from fast-moving Gordon smashed into the coastline of Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle on Tuesday evening which brings a warning that the storm could become the second hurricane to hit the region in less than a year.
Gordon was located about 35 miles south-southwest of Mobile, Alabama and was packing maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour, the Miami-based weather forecaster said.
Skies quickly turned dark gray as storms overshadowed Mobile, a port city. Metal chairs were lashed together atop tables outside a restaurant in what’s normally a busy entertainment district, and a street musician played to an empty sidewalk just before the rain began.
In anticipation of heavy rains, the Flood Protection Authority-East (FPA) has closed 21 floodgates on the Lake Borgne Surge Barrier near New Orleans, according to a press release.
A storm must reach winds of 74 miles per hour to reach hurricane status where more than 2 million people are under a hurricane watch or warning.
The warning covers the Mississippi and Alabama coast, from the mouth of the Pearl River to the Florida-Alabama border, the National Hurricane Center said.
Nearly two weeks after Houston marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, the city’s Office of Emergency Management was keeping an eye on the nearby tropical storm — despite the predicted lack of impact.
“While we don’t anticipate Houston to be impacted by the storm, we are prepared for potential rainfall to impact us this coming weekend,” said Cory Stottlemyer, spokesman for the Office of Emergency Management.
“Right now, according to @NHC_Atlantic, the biggest impact to our state will be heavy rain, but in Florida, we know how quickly weather can change,” said Florida Gov. Rick Scott .
“With the peak of hurricane season upon us, now is the time to get prepared. Make sure that you and your family have a plan in place in case of disaster”.
> Shatabdi Sarker Poushi
Gordon is Bringing Hurricane Warning for Parts of Gulf Coast
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