Some states along the U.S. Gulf Coast are preparing for a tropical storm that could bring storm surge and flooding.
Tropical Storm Cristobal, which set a record for the earliest third named storm in the Atlantic, is now forecast to make landfall along the Louisiana coast sometime this weekend. The storm was packing winds of 40 mph and heading north from near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula at 13 mph, according to a Friday afternoon update by the National Hurricane Center.
Here are the 4 PM CDT key messages for Tropical Storm Cristobal. Tropical Storm Warnings have been issued for portions of the northern Gulf Coast. More info: https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/jzzOiJ2Bwl
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) June 5, 2020
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Tropical-storm-force winds are expected to hit the Gulf Coast Saturday evening and continue into Sunday. Some parts of Louisiana and Mississippi are forecast to get between 6 and 10 inches of rainfall, according to an NHC model.
CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said that flooding will be the biggest concern with Cristobal.
“The highest winds, greatest storm surge, and heaviest rain may occur east of where Cristobal makes landfall, so not only is the Louisiana coast at risk but also Mississippi, Alabama, and well into the Florida Panhandle,” he said.
“It looks like flooding will be the greatest threat from the storm and could occur over a wide area from Texas to Florida,” Hennen added. “It could produce widespread heavy rain associated directly from the storm and from a lot of tropical moisture that is already funneling into places like Florida.”
