Tropical Storm Gordon Makes Landfall Near Alabama-Mississippi Border

On Sept. 4, Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall just west of the Alabama-Mississippi border. The storm brought heavy rains and flooding, reaching maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Additionally, a child died in Pensacola, Fla., when a tree fell on top of a mobile home due to the storm. While the storm has since weakened into a depression, as of the morning of Sept. 5, flash floods remain a risk across the Gulf Coast from Florida to Louisiana. As the storm continues, Tropical Storm Gordon is expected to bring 4 to 8 in. of rain throughout the western Florida Panhandle, southwest Alabama, southern and central Mississippi, northeastern Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, southern Iowa and Illinois, according to the National Hurricane Center.

In New Orleans, the floodgates have been closed and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a voluntary evacuation notice for areas outside of the levee system, as reported by CNN. The Flood Protection Authority-East closed a total of 38 floodgates, 13 valves gates and a concrete barge gate on the Lake Borgne Surge Barrier, in preparation for the storm.

At least 30,000 people are without power along the Gulf Coast. The storm is expected to continue to move north, bringing heavy rains and flooding to the midwest. Now, a new threat has emerged as the first major hurricane of the Pacific has developed from a tropical storm into Hurricane Florence, with sustained winds of 85 mph and a potential impact on Bermuda, according to USA Today.