Storms to batter Gulf Coast with torrential downpours and coastal flood threat through weekend
A developing storm system in the Gulf will bring torrential downpours to Louisiana and other parts of the Gulf Coast beginning Friday and intensifying through the weekend.
A developing storm system in the Gulf will bring torrential downpours to Louisiana and other parts of the Gulf Coast beginning Friday and intensifying through the weekend.
When there's an area of disturbed water in the Gulf during hurricane season, it can cause panic. But it's important to note that there is no chance of this system becoming a tropical depression or storm, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Although sea surface temperatures in the Gulf are up to 3 degrees above average, strong wind shear is ensuring that developing thunderstorms have no chance to organize.
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Even though tropical development is not expected, this system is packed with deep tropical moisture and will likely produce coastal flooding, rough surf and rip currents along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts.
Orange Beach in Alabama was closed to swimming on Thursday after city officials said life-threatening rip currents were already present along the Gulf Coast.
Because the storms will be scattered, the potential for widespread flooding is limited. However, any individual storm could produce torrential downpours, where rainfall totals over 2 inches per hour are likely.
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The New Orleans, Biloxi and Gulfport metro areas are among those most likely to see the heaviest rain, with storms peaking on Saturday.
If multiple storms track over the same area, more than 3 inches of rain and flooding will be possible.
NOAA's Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has issued a Level 1 out of 4 flash flood threat for the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast through Sunday. The flood risk will expand into the Plains and Midwest over the weekend as more tropical moisture spreads across the region.
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Meanwhile, east-southeast winds with gusts up to 40 mph will pile up water at the coast, leading to dangerous surf, strong rip currents and minor flooding during high tide.
Coastal Flood Advisories have been issued from southeast Louisiana to the Mississippi coast for the threat of 1 to 2 feet of total water rise, which will cause flooding in low-lying parks and parking lots.
Much of the Southeast has seen several rounds of soaking storms over the last two weeks and could be vulnerable to additional flash flooding.
By Sunday, the moisture will have moved inland, where it will meet up with an upper-level disturbance tracking out of the Four Corners region.
The two systems will combine to trigger numerous thunderstorms across the Lower and Mid-Mississippi valleys on Sunday afternoon across parts of eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, Missouri and northwestern Arkansas.
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