Tropical storm Sally is looming in the United States: it will become a hurricane when it lands on land

Hurricane and tropical storm warnings are in effect on portions of the US Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Sally draws closer to shore. Writes about it Accu Weather.

Photo: Shutterstock

Sally moves through the Gulf of Mexico, where water temperatures range from 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26,6 Celsius). The storm is predicted to reach hurricane strength before it hits the coast along the Gulf Coast.

As of 05:00 Monday, Sept. 14, ET, the storm was 120 miles (193 km) southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It moved from west to northwest at 9 miles per hour (14 km per hour), and the maximum wind speed remained at 60 mph (96,5 km per hour). Sally, who was a tropical depression, quickly intensified and turned into a tropical storm on Saturday afternoon, September 12th.

Sally is expected to land somewhere between southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi-Alabama border on Tuesday, September 15th.

Forecasters expect Sally to continue to intensify rapidly on Monday, September 14 and predict the storm will be a Category 2 hurricane. However, due to the effects of wind and rain, AccuWeather meteorologists gave Sally a XNUMX on the AccuWeather RealImpact hurricane scale.

The AccuWeather RealImpact Hurricane Scale is a 6-point scale with multiple ratings. It is similar to the 5-point system, only the first category in the AccuWeather RealImpact scale corresponds to a hurricane category “less than 1” on the five-point scale.

As the storm moved south-east Florida, local authorities began to make arrangements to prepare for Sally's arrival. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency ahead of the hurricane and tweeted that part of his state was hit by Hurricane Laura late last month.

“This combined with the COVID-19 pandemic could wear us all down,” Edwards said on Twitter. “I implore Louisianans to seriously prepare.”

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Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves also signed a state of emergency. He also formally approached President Donald Trump for help.

Given the forecast of heavy rain and the threat of a life-threatening storm surge, the mayor of New Orleans has issued a mandatory evacuation order for areas outside the city's dam system. The decree entered into force at 18:00 local time on Sunday 13 September.

Screenshot: NHC

Sally is now the first BCCC-named S ever to form in the Atlantic Basin, overtaking Hurricane Stan 2005, named October 2.

In less than 24 hours, Sally went from a multitude of showers and thunderstorms east of the Bahamas on Friday afternoon to a tropical depression on Friday evening, September 11, and then turned into a tropical storm on Saturday afternoon, September 12.

The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for areas from Morgan City, Louisiana to the Mississippi / Alabama border.

A storm surge warning was issued for the Port of Fourchon, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Morepas, Lake Bourne, and Mobile Bay.

Travelers and boaters should be prepared for rapidly changing conditions, including sudden squalls, rainstorms, large waves and surf. Sally caused a couple of isolated tornadoes and waterspouts.

Slow and steady gains are expected as Sally cruises through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

"With very warm water in the northeast Gulf and relatively little vertical wind shear, Sally is expected to have plenty of time to become a hurricane before making landfall," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Adam Doughty said.

The water throughout the Gulf of Mexico is very warm, between 80 and 90 Fahrenheit (26,6-32,2 Celsius), which is enough to keep tropical storms strong.

All residents of the eastern and central coasts of the Persian Gulf must begin preparations for Sally, from high winds to heavy torrential rains and storm surges.

Before Sally becomes a hurricane before landfall, destructive winds will also be a problem along the immediate coast.

Widespread wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph (64 to 96,5 km per hour) are expected from central Florida to east Louisiana, with strong winds near or east of the expected landfall.

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Wind gusts of 120 mph (193 km per hour) are possible near the center of the storm.

Screenshot: NHC

In eastern Louisiana and along the Mississippi coastal stretches, storm surge is expected to reach heights of up to 6-10 feet (1,8-3 m), while storm surges are expected to reach 1-3 feet (0,3-0,9 m) covers the entire territory of Florida.

“The heaviest showers and maximum accumulations are expected to occur over the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi, and could last up to 48 hours in some locations,” Doughty explained.

Large, life-threatening flash floods are possible due to so much rainfall. Roads can become impassable, and some localities can be cut off from first responders and medical services for some time.

In addition to Sally, Hurricane Paulette has formed in the Atlantic, it will not enter the United States, but it will hook Bermuda.

Tropical storms and hurricanes can form well beyond the statistical peak of the hurricane season, which is September 10-11.

The hurricane season does not officially end until the end of November, and the named storms may appear in December this year.

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