Sally likely to strike coast as hurricane

Tropical Storm Sally triggered evacuations in Louisiana on Sunday as the northern Gulf Coast prepared for it to make landfall overnight Monday as a hurricane with 90 mph sustained winds.

Hurricane and tropical storm warnings were in effect for a swath of the northern Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Morgan City, Louisiana, as Sally gathered strength.

“It’s possible we could see winds of 100 mph, with gusts to 120 along the coast as Sally makes shore,” said Ben Schott, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service office in New Orleans.

The developing worry for the larger region is the potential for Sally to slow to a virtual crawl, bringing a longer period of winds and rain. When it approaches the coast it could be moving as slow as 3 to 5 mph, Schott said.

The National Hurricane Center warned Sally could bring a widespread rainfall along the Gulf Coast of 6 to 12 inches, with isolated amounts of up to 20 inches over the next several days.

Schott and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards warned that Sally could experience a rapid intensification over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“The sea surface temperatures are well above average and will provide plenty of energy for it to continue to intensify as it moves across the Gulf, Schott said. The only limiting factor would be wind shear.

Widespread wind gusts of 40 mph to 60 mph are forecast from the Florida Panhandle to eastern Louisiana.

“Life-threatening storm surge, torrential rainfall, and damaging winds (are) expected to move into the area late Monday and continue for the better part of Tuesday before improving Wednesday morning,” the Weather Service said.

Sunday afternoon, the storm was centered 140 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida, and about 240 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was moving west-northwestward at 12 mph, with maximum sustained winds of about 60 mph.

Sally is forecast to whip up a powerful storm surge of as much as 7 to 11 feet for parts of Louisiana and coastal Mississippi, with the highest potential in east-facing portions of southeastern Louisiana.

Edwards urged Louisiana residents to prepare for a new threat, even as they continue to recover from Laura, which made landfall on Aug. 27.