Alberto to swing into the South
Warning issued by Florida governor
A week before the official start to hurricane season, Subtropical Storm Alberto has made its way through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, bringing with it a blast of high winds and heavy rain.
The National Weather Service said rainfall amounts of 5 to 6 inches are expected in areas of Florida, Mississippi and Alabama, up until Tuesday.
The Sunshine State’s Gov. Rick Scott issued an emergency warning early yesterday advising his fellow Floridians to prepare for torrential rain and severe flooding, reminding residents that the storm’s track can change without notice.
“Do not think that only areas in the cone will be impacted — everyone in our state must be prepared,” Scott said in a statement.
Stormchaser Jim Cantore said in a social media post, “a plethora of hazards will ramp up Sunday for USA and be with us through Tuesday.”
Here in the Bay State, meteorologist Matt Doody with the National Weather Service in Boston said the remnants of Alberto will likely be seen as early as next week. However, the storm should not be taken as an indicator of how this hurricane season will play out, he said.
“It’s not really without precedent,” Doody said. “We’ve had named storms only a week away from the start of hurricane season before . ... There’s a potential for it to be worse when the waters are more favorable and warmer later in the season.”
Doody said while this storm may be an isolated case, weather in the Bay State this Memorial Day weekend will be cooler than normal and fairly cloudy, though he suggests that you might want to stay away from beaches.
“For the earlier part of the day there are just showers. It’s not going to be widespread rainfall,” Doody said. “There’s a shower risk, but other than that it will be fairly cool ... if you want to be outdoors it’s not too bad.”