…TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS SPREADING ONSHORE ALONG THE NORTH-CENTRAL GULF COAST…
…HISTORIC LIFE-THREATENING FLOODING LIKELY ALONG PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN GULF COAST..

*** A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for…
* Mouth of the Mississippi River to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line Florida, and Mobile Bay
*** A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…
* East of Bay St. Louis to Navarre Florida
*** A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* East of Navarre Florida to Indian Pass Florida
* Bay St. Louis westward to Grand Isle Louisiana

Hurricane conditions are expected to begin within the hurricane warning area this evening. Tropical storm conditions are already occurring in portions of the warning areas, and will continue through Wednesday night. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

A few tornadoes may occur this evening through Wednesday across portions of the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama. For storm information specific to your area, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office – www.weather.gov

At 4 p.m. CDT, the center of Hurricane Sally was located about 85 miles (135 km) south of Mobile, Alabama, and abouit 90 miles (140 km) southwest of Pensacola, Florida. Sally is moving toward the north near 2 mph (4 km/h). A slow northward motion is expected tonight, followed by a slow north-northeastward to northeastward motion on Wednesday and Wednesday night. A slightly faster northeastward motion is expected on Thursday. On the forecast track, the center of Sally will approach the northern Gulf Coast tonight, and make landfall in the hurricane warning area late tonight or Wednesday. Sally is expected to move inland across southeastern Alabama Wednesday night and Thursday.

Data from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft and NWS Doppler radar indicates that maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph (130 km/h) with higher gusts – a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles (205 km). A NOAA buoy located about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Mobile, Alabama, recently reported sustained winds of 58 mph (94 km/h) and a gust to 67 mph (108 km/h) within the past couple of hours. An observing site at the Okaloosa Fishing Pier in Florida has reported sustained winds of 44 mph (70 km/h) and a gust to 52 mph (83 km/h). Little change in strength is forecast until landfall occurs and Sally is expected to be a dangerous hurricane when it moves onshore along the north-central Gulf Coast.

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. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide…
– Dauphin Island, AL to AL/FL State Line incl. Mobile Bay…4-6 ft
– Mouth of the Mississippi River to Mouth of the Pearl River including Lake Borgne…3-5 ft
– MS/AL State Line to Dauphin Island, AL…3-5 ft
– AL/FL State Line to Okaloosa/Walton County Line, FL including Pensacola Bay and Choctawhatchee Bay…3-5 ft
– Mouth of the Pearl River to MS/AL Border…2-4 ft
– Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas…2-4 ft
– Okaloosa/Walton County Line, FL to Chassahowitzka, FL including Saint Andrews Bay…1-3 ft
– Grand Isle, LA to Mouth of the Mississippi River…1-3 ft

Sally is forecast to produce 10 to 20 inches of rainfall, with isolated amounts of 30 inches, along and just inland of the central Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle west of the Apalachicola River to far southeastern Mississippi. Historic life-threatening flash flooding is likely. In addition, this rainfall will lead to widespread moderate to major flooding on area rivers.

The next complete advisory will be issued by NHC at 10 p.m. CDT with an intermediate advisory at 7 p.m. CDT – www.hurricanes.gov