The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Gordon has made landfall just west of the Alabama-Mississippi border. The Miami-based forecasting center said Tuesday that Gordan struck about 10 p.m.
Gordon formed Monday morning near the Florida Keys. Gordon’s maximum sustained winds were 70 mph (110 kilometers). It never achieved hurricane status.
The storm is forecast to quickly weaken as it moves inland across Mississippi, Louisiana and into Arkansas through Thursday.
The last hurricane to strike the U.S. was Nate, which came ashore in Biloxi, Mississippi, last October. Forecasters say 4 to 8 inches (10-20 centimeters) of rain could fall along the storm’s track.
Flash flood watches have been issued.
Governors in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana all declared states of emergency to better mobilize state resources and National Guard troops for the storm. Mississippi shut down a dozen Gulf Coast casinos. Workers on at least 54 oil and gas production platforms were evacuated.
