Florida, Alabama and Mississippi launched emergency preparations ahead of the arrival of Subtropical Storm Alberto, a slow-moving system expected to cause wet misery across the eastern US Gulf Coast over the Memorial Day long weekend.
Heavy downpours were yesterday expected to begin lashing parts of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
The US National Hurricane Center in Miami issued tropical storm warnings for parts of Florida and Alabama, saying tropical storm conditions were possible there by last night.
The governors of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi all declared states of emergency ahead of the storm.
About 13cm to 25cm of rain are possible along affected areas in eastern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, western Tennessee and the western Florida Panhandle.
Isolated areas could see as much as 38cm.
Under overcast skies and occasional drizzle, several Gulfport, Mississippi, residents lined up to fill 5kg and 9kg bags with sand they would use to block any encroaching floodwater expected as a result of Alberto.
Tommy Whitlock said sandbagging has become a usual event in his life since he lives next to a creek.
“I’m doing this because every time we have a hard rain, it floods at my house,” Whitlock said. “We get water from other neighborhoods, and water can get up to a foot deep in some places.”
Eddy Warner, a retired consultant for a construction company, filled bags while waiting for his nephew to come help transport them home to protect his garage.
“I’m 65 years old and too old to be doing this,” he said, laughing.
Alberto — the first named storm of this year’s hurricane season that officially starts on Friday — is expected to strengthen until it reaches the northern Gulf Coast, likely tonight.
The US National Weather Service said waves as high as 5.5m could today pound the popular Gulf beaches in Baldwin County, Alabama, and northwestern Florida.
A high surf warning was in effect through 7pm tomorrow.
At 11pm on Saturday, the center said Alberto was about 645km south of Apalachicola, Florida, and moving north-northeast at 20kph.
The storm had top sustained winds of 65kph and was expected to strengthen as it moves over the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
A subtropical storm like Alberto has a less defined and cooler center than a tropical storm, and its strongest winds are found farther from its center.
Subtropical storms can develop into tropical storms, which in turn can strengthen into hurricanes.
A tropical storm warning expired for Cuba’s western Pinar del Rio Province, where heavy rains could trigger flash floods and mudslides, the center said.
The downpours could dampen Memorial Day, the unofficial start of the US summer tourist season along Gulf beaches.
Along with heavy rains and high winds come rough seas and a threat of rip currents from Florida to Louisiana that can sweep swimmers out to sea.
Tracey Gasper and her six-year-old son, Chase, traveled to Biloxi Beach from Donaldsonville, Louisiana, for a day of fun in the sun with a group of friends from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The weather had scared off the usual crowds expected for the holiday weekend.
“It was a 50-50 chance of whether to come down and we decided to chance it,” Gasper said.
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