ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Storm Claudette, the third named storm of the year, continues to dish out heavy rain with gusty winds as it moves toward the southeast region of the United States on Saturday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of 5 p.m. EDT, the tropical storm was located about 95 miles west of Montgomery, Ala. and about 150 miles north of Mobile, Ala., with maximum sustained winds at 35 miles per hour.
“A turn toward the east-northeast is expected tonight and Sunday,” NHC forecaster John Cangialosi said. “On the forecast track, the system should move farther inland across portions of the southeast U.S. through Sunday night, and over the western Atlantic Ocean on Monday.”
A tropical storm watch remains in effect for a portion of the North Carolina coast from Cape Fear to Duck, including Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. An earlier tropical storm warning issued for the Gulf Coast areas from the Mississippi-Alabama border to the mouth of the Mississippi River has been discontinued.
Claudette will weaken and become a tropical depression later tonight, based on NHC reports. However, Claudette is forecast to become a tropical storm again when it moves across the Carolinas Sunday night or early Monday.
Rainfall totals could fall between 3 to 6 inches and as high as 8 inches across portions of eastern Alabama, northern Georgia, the Florida Panhandle, and South and North Carolina through the night, according to the latest NHC advisory.
The NHC warned of flash, urban and small stream flooding as a result of the heavy rainfall and said river flooding could occur as the storm hits areas with elevated rivers. Tropical storm conditions, including high winds, are expected to continue along the coasts in the storm’s path through Saturday, the NHC said.
“The storm total rainfall is expected to be 5 to 10 inches with isolated 15 inches totals in southeast Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the western Florida panhandle,” Cangialosi said.
Tornadoes are possible today across southeast Alabama, the western Florida Panhandle, and southwest Georgia.
Storm surge could reach between 2 to 3 feet in areas from the Mississippi-Alabama border to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line in Florida and Mobile Bay.
Pensacola Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, Saint Andrew Bay, and areas from Okaloosa/Walton County to Panama City could see between 1 and 2 feet of storm surge, the NHC said.
A 1 to 3 feet storm surge is expected in areas from North Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia border.
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(Orlando Sentinel staff writers Joe Mario Pedersen, David Harris and Katie Rice contributed to this report.)
