Gulf Coast Facing Life-Threatening Floods As Tropical Rainstorm Arthur Intensifies

The extreme life-threatening flooding risk continues today into Friday morning, as Tropical Rainstorm Arther moves east, bringing 12-18 inches of rain in some parts of Mississippi and Alabama. This will create dangerous conditions for millions along the Gulf Coast, who may face rapidly rising water and road closures.

AccuWeather has raised Arthur to a 2 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes to reflect the potential for more significant impacts from flooding and tornadoes.

“Heavy rainfall will be fueled by tropical moisture, delivering rainfall rates of 2-4 inches per hour across portions of the Gulf Coast,” said AccuWeather expert meteorologist Alex Duffus.

Some of the cities facing the greatest flood risk Thursday and Friday include Hattiesburg, MS; Mobile, AL; and Montgomery, AL, many of which have already seen significant rainfall in the past 24 hours.

AccuWeather forecast:

• A wide swath of 8-12 inches of rain can fall from southeastern Louisiana through southern Alabama and Mississippi. A zone within this area can receive 12-18 inches of rain. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ is 30 inches.
• The area of greatest flood risk exists from central Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama.
• Severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes are possible Thursday into Friday morning. The tornado risk continues Thursday night across Georgia and South Carolina.
• Heavy rain and flood risk will continue into Georgia and South Carolina Friday.

“Arthur is a clear example of why AccuWeather uses the Tropical Rainstorm designation for tropical systems that may not have a designation by the National Hurricane Center but pose a serious threat to life and property,” said AccuWeather Vice President of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin. “These major impacts are the reason Arthur is now a 2 on the AccuWeather RealImpactTM Scale for Hurricanes which, in contrast to the Saffir-Simpson scale, is based on a broad range of important factors to better communicate a more comprehensive representation of the potential impact of a storm to lives and livelihoods.”

The post by AccuWeather.com appears on South Florida Reporter.