MOBILE (Alabama): Hurricane Sally brought heavy winds and massive flooding as it landed on the US Gulf Coast on Wednesday morning as a Category 2 hurricane, the latest in what has been a busy season of dangerous storms in the United States.
Some parts of the Gulf Coast have already been inundated with more than 18 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, with more precipitation expected throughout the day even as the storm's winds slow. Parts of Pensacola, Florida, were swamped with floods as high as five feet, the National Hurricane Center said. The region could see as much as 3 feet (90 cm) of rain, as the storm moved at a slow 4 mile-per-hour (7 km-per-hour) pace toward the Alabama-Florida border, similar to other recent US storms that caused massive flooding and property damage.
More than 500,000 homes and businesses were without power in Alabama and Florida early Wednesday, according to local utilities, with more outages expected. Upon landfall at Gulf Shores, Alabama, winds were clocked at 105 mph (165 kph). At the Gulf State Park, a section of the pier broke, according to local media.
Officials across the South called on residents of low-lying areas to shelter away from rain and winds. In Pensacola, wind gusts clocked 77 mph (125 kph) on Wednesday, and images on social media showed major floods. One witness reported hailstorms in the city
as well.