Category: Posts EN

Hurricane Sally Slams Into Gulf Coast, Bringing Damaging Winds and Historic Flooding

Written by Team Morecast

 

Sally finally came ashore on Wednesday morning near Gulf Shores, Alabama after hovering near the coast for the better part of two days. At landfall, Sally was a Category Two on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds of 105 mph (170 kph). Sally has weakened significantly as it moves further inland through the Southeast. However, serious flash flooding will continue to be an issue as the cyclone approaches the Carolinas.

 

 

Sally produced severe wind and tidal surge damage over portions of southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle (see tweets below). The barrier islands in southern Alabama were particularly hard-hit with gusts well over 100 mph (160 kph). The marina on Dauphin Island was almost completely destroyed. A larger region of southern Alabama and adjacent Florida saw gusts in the 80-100 mph (130-160 kph) range (see map above), leading to numerous trees and powerlines down. Power outages in this area will likely last for days or weeks.

 

 

 

 

Sally is now a minimal tropical storm located over southeast Alabama. The cyclone is accelerating and will move into Georgia on Thursday. The main threat going forward will be freshwater flooding. The last few days have seen record rainfall along the Gulf Coast from southern Alabama into southwest Georgia and the Florida panhandle (see map above). Amounts of 18 inches (450 mm) or more were common with a few locations seeing 24-30 inches (610-760 mm)! With the storm weakening and picking up speed, those staggering rainfall amounts won’t be repeated further north. However, locations from central Georgia into the Piedmont of South and North Carolina could still have major issues. Totals of 3-6 inches (75-150 mm) will lead to significant flash flooding in spots (see map below). Streams and rivers will also be on the rise across the region over the coming days. Lead photo courtesy flickr user Tobin.

 

Sally Intensifies Rapidly, Landfall Late Tonight or Early Wednesday in Mississippi

Written by Team Morecast

 

Sally started the day as a tropical storm but has undergone rapid intensification due to very warm waters and favorable upper level winds. Now a dangerous Category Two, Sally could intensify further before landfall late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Deadly storm surge, destructive winds, and torrential rainfall will hammer the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle.

 

 

For the first time since 1971, five named cyclones occupied the tropical Atlantic basin simultaneously Monday (see map above). Rene has weakened to a remnant low. Tropical Storms Teddy and Vicky pose no immediate threat to land. Paulette passed directly over the island nation of Bermuda on Sunday night into Monday morning as a Category One hurricane. It’s only the tenth time in recorded history that a mature hurricane’s eye passed directly over the island. Some residents reported damage to their homes, but for the most part it seems the island escaped significant impacts.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, Hurricane Sally won’t be so passive. Significant surge flooding is already being reported along the Alabama coast with torrential rainfall over parts of the Florida Panhandle. Sally is moving slowly west-northwest and may slow down even more into Tuesday. The very warm waters over the northeastern Gulf will continue to provide fuel for intensification. Sally may even approach major hurricane status as it approaches the coast. Regardless, locations along the coast from southeast Louisiana to the Florida-Alabama border will be inundated by a deadly storm surge up to nine feet (2.75 m). Destructive winds gusting to 120 mph (190 kph) will bring down numerous trees and powerlines and tear roofs from homes. The slow storm motion will also translate into prodigious rainfall totals up to 18 inches (450 mm) in spots, leading to major freshwater flooding. Conditions will continue to deteriorate through Tuesday in the target zone with landfall expected on Wednesday morning.

Ferocious Fires Consume Millions of Acres in the West & Claim Three Dozen Lives

Written by Team Morecast

 

Months of near-zero precipitation and boiling temperatures have helped spark hundreds of wildfires in the West. More than three million acres as well as thousands of homes and businesses have burned to ashes in California alone. That’s 27 times the acreage burned in all of 2019, and possibly the most in more than a century. Choking smoke has spread across much of the Western and Central US, leading to the worst air quality conditions in decades. Nearly three dozen lives have been lost to the flames.

 

 

Firefighters have worked superhuman shifts to try to control the blazes, some going 48 to 72 hours without a break. Still, the high winds, hot temperatures, and severe drought conditions have turned forests up and down the West coast to kindling. Hundreds of wildfires have stretched fire management resources well beyond the breaking point. Evacuations have been required for hundreds of communities in Washington, Oregon, and California. Despite the evacuations, the death count is up to at least 35, including two dozen in California. Many more are missing as of Sunday night.

 

 

A historic heat wave has been one ingredient in the cataclysmic fires of late. Los Angeles County reported their highest temperature of all time on 6-Sept, 121 deg F ( deg C). Officials have cautioned that such high temperatures will lead to rolling blackouts unless stringent energy conservation measures are taken. To ease the strain on the power systems, California Governor Newsome has temporarily eased emissions regulations on suppliers. Unfortunately that will only decrease air quality as wildfire smoke combines with industrial emissions. Only months after enjoying some of the cleanest air in decades due to the COVID shutdown, ozone levels reached 185 ppb in Los Angeles last Sunday. That’s the highest level since 1994, in the “Very Unhealthy” category. Other major West Coast cities like Portland and San Francisco, and even into southern British Columbia, have reported similarly hazardous air quality readings in recent weeks. Satellite imagery shows smoke from the fires is being carried as far east as the Midwest and Great Lakes.

 

Roiling Tropical Atlantic Threatening Bermuda and Gulf Coast in the Coming Days

Written by Team Morecast

 

The climatological peak of hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin just occurred on 10-September. Appropriately, the tropics are very active. Currently there are four storms rolling across the Basin, including Hurricane Paulette and Tropical Storm Sally, both strengthening. Paulette will pass directly over the island of Bermuda in the next few days. Meanwhile Sally is expected to strengthen rapidly and approach the central Gulf Coast as a hurricane later this week.

 

 

 

Paulette is a minimal hurricane as of Saturday evening, however conditions are favorable for steady strengthening in the next few days. Paulette will continue to move northwestward, bringing the center of the storm directly over Bermuda by Monday morning. Hurricane landfalls are not uncommon for the tiny island nation, occurring every few years, and local residents have well-practiced procedures to deal with the impacts. However, strong winds, heavy rains, and surge flooding can still major disruptions, including power outages. After passing Bermuda, Paulette will turn northeast and accelerate towards the northern Atlantic.

 

 

Tropical Storm Sally has already caused very heavy rainfall and gusty winds over south Florida on Saturday. Now the storm has entered the eastern Gulf of Mexico with warm waters and low shear ahead. Intensification is likely and Sally could be a hurricane by Monday. Steering winds are not very strong and will diminish further in the coming days. Consequently, Sally will slow down as it moves close to the central Gulf Coast. Landfall is projected to occur somewhere between southeast Louisiana and the Florida panhandle on Tuesday. Slow storm motion will lead to heavier rainfall totals, exceeding 12 inches (300 mm) in some areas (see map above), leading to serious freshwater flooding. A life-threatening storm surge and destructive winds will also occur near and just east of the landfall point. Additional updates will likely come out as Sally approaches landfall. Lead photo courtesy flickr user Jerry Angelica.