Category 2 Hurricane Sally made landfall on Wednesday in Gulf Shores, Alabama, with sustained maximum winds of nearly 105 miles per hour (165 km/h) and the accompanying cyclone surge is causing flooding on a strip of the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane Sally, who in recent days was almost stationary off the Louisiana coast, turned north-east and strengthened her winds before hitting southeastern Alabama.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted, prior to Sally’s landing, that they were developing “sudden and catastrophic flooding” from western Tallahasse, Florida’s capital, to Mobile Bay in Alabama.
1 PM CDT intermediate advisory: #Sally is causing catastrophic and life-threatening flooding over portions of the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama. A significant flood threat will spread inland over portions of the southeastern U.S. through Fri. https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/HUdrfkS1IL
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 16, 2020
In addition to cyclone surge on the coast, moderate to major overflows and flooding may occur in rivers in the area.
Hurricane Sally goes to Georgia
Sally is now moving north-east at 3 miles per hour (6 km/h) and hurricane conditions are expected to continue during this Wednesday’s day.
More than 500,000 people are without electricity in the northwestern Florida area and southeastern Alabama affected by the impact of the hurricane.