It's cloudy this morning in South Mississippi with a few sprinkles here and there. The National Weather Service says there is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and a 30 percent chance tonight. The high today will be in the mid-80s. The rain likely will stay with us today and Thursday, but it looks dry for the weekend with hot days and cool nights.

The tropics are quiet, but rain could be on the way to South Mississippi. Tonight, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, and the low will be 67. Wednesday, though, there is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Most of that will start after 1 p.m.. The high will be 87. Wednesday night, the rain chance drops to 30 percent, and the low will be 68.

Hurricane season begins today. Are you prepared? The National Hurricane Center has predicted that this season will be an average one, but that still means up to 14 named storms and as many as seven of those could become hurricanes. The NHC is predicting that between one and three of those could be major storms.

The weather could get rough this morning in South Mississippi. There is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, and the six lower counties are under a tornado watch until 2 p.m. It looks like the roughest weather will pass north of the Coast and most of it will hit Pearl River, Stone and George counties. Be careful out there!

Emergency managers from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama heard today from one of the most well-known weather experts in the country, The Weather Channel's Steve Lyons. Lyons told the group that the media needs to put out better information about hurricanes so the public will have better knowledge.

Transportation officials from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama talked this morning about how to improve evacuation in the event of a hurricane. Mississippi allows Louisiana residents to use its interstates to get out of harm's way. However, during Hurricane Gustav last fall, they discovered the plans need to be tweaked.

SunHerald.com has changed the former Storm Watch weather blog into Weather Vane. Coverage kicks off tomorrow with the start of the GulfStates Hurricane Conference. Sun Herald weather reporter Melissa Scallan will blog with updates from the conference. Updates to the blog will track weather changes throughout South Mississippi, with regular posts during this year's hurricane season. 

The GulfStates Hurricane Conference kicked off this afternoon at the Coast Convention Center in Biloxi. Gov. Haley Barbour and Gov. Bob Riley of Alabama were on hand, as well as Mark Cooper, director of Louisiana's Office of Homeland Security.

Pascagoula Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich announced Monday that schools in that district will reopen for classes Wednesday. Buses will run their usual schedules.

Harrison County Sheriff Melvin Brisolara reminds citizens that a curfew remains in effect indefinitely. Officials will reevaluate the need for the curfew at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Ocean Springs has lifted its curfew, but asks that citizens stay away from low-lying areas and the waterfront.

Debris from boats already in Pass harbor and from trailers and vehicles around the harbor are now in the water, causing the harbor to be closed indefinitely.

Hurricane Gustav continues to move west through Louisiana and weakened to a Category 1 storm. At 2 p.m. Monday it was approaching New Iberia and Lafayette. A tropical storm warning remains in effect from Texas to the Mississippi-Alabama border.

From the City of Biloxi:   Wind and water are subsiding in Biloxi, but Mayor A.J. Holloway says a curfew will remain in effect until city crews have had a chance to access damage and clear streets of downed tree limbs.   The city saw sustained winds of 40 mph, with gusts up to 60 and 70 mph, plus a 12-foot storm surge in some areas of the peninsula, causing localized flooding.

  PEARL –   The following is the latest information reported to MEMA about impacts from Hurricane Gustav.   ·         National Hurricane Center: reports storm surge reached 6.5 feet in Pascagoula and 11 feet in Waveland. Water started receding an hour ago.   ·        

The Weather Channel’s Mike Seidel, in a sporty rain parka that’s holding up pretty good despite the wind, has been reporting from Gulfport today.   He most recently filed a standup from near the Island View Casino. The wind was kicking up pretty good, but he said the storm surge there appears to be receding into the Sound after having crossed over U.S. 90.  

Harrison County District 4 Supervisor William Martin said the first thing he checks in these situations is Turkey Creek. "I'm kinda surprised," he said. "We're not seeing as much water there as I had expected." He said some neighborhoods in his district prone to street flooding got that.

Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway said the city's water and sewer systems had survived well as of early afternoon. Water in low-lying areas prevented him from doing drive-by inspections of the Isle of Capri or the Palace, but he said outside of about 3-4 feet of water in the first floor of the Hard Rock Casino, the others appeared in good shape.

By MARGARET BAKER SUN HERALD   JACKSON COUNTY   - Army National Guard troops are headed now to rescue a few people standing on top of their vehicle at the Miss. 63 boat launch in the Moss Point city limits.   Jackson County Civil Defense Director Butch Loper said the people tried to drive a vehicle in the flooded area and their vehicle is now submerged.

PEARL –   MDOT crews are working diligently to clear roads of debris and create detours from highways. Much of U.S. 90 is underwater. The following highways are closed because of flooding and/or trees down:     ·         The intersection at I-59 and Highway 43.   ·        

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF BILOXI... SOUTHWESTERN JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...ST. MARTIN...OCEAN SPRINGS...

By MELISSA M. SCALLAN SUN HERALD   PEARL – South Mississippi residents who evacuated from Hurricane Gustav need to wait until at least Tuesday before returning home, Gov. Barbour said today.    

By MARGARET BAKER SUN HERALD       Jackson County has revised its curfew and for now it is in effect from dusk today until dawn Tuesday. The city of Ocean Springs, Gautier, Pascagoula and Moss Point will remain under the same revised curfew but might decide to extend it depending on conditions Tuesday.

Part of the facade of the building at 1302 27th Ave. in downtown collapsed today under the weight of Hurricane Gustav. This photo was submitted.    

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF BILOXI... CENTRAL JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...ST. MARTIN...OCEAN SPRINGS...

From the good folks at the Harrison County Emergency Management Agency:   Harrison County, Miss. - The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the three rivers in the county.  The rivers have been rising, will continue to rise and will overflow their banks due to storm surge from Hurricane Gustav. 

COLUMBUS, Ga. — The Sun Herald has a news production team in Columbus, Ga., in the event the newspaper is unable to publish from its main Gulfport plant.    This is the same plan we used after Hurricane Katrina.    Four journalists —

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF BILOXI... * UNTIL 1130 AM CDT * AT 1053 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR BILOXI... MOVING NORTHWEST AT 51 MPH. * THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR... LYMAN BY 1115 AM CDT...

By MARGARET BAKER SUN HERALD Ocean Springs has shut down several roads as a result of rising water from Hurricane Gustav. Here’s the list of streets closed as of 11 a.m.:             -Front Beach            

By MELISSA SCALLAN SUN HERALD   PEARL – Hurricane Gustav is making his presence known throughout Mississippi as wind and rain have spread from the Coast to Vicksburg.   A tropical storm force warning is in effect for most of the state until 4 a.m. Tuesday, and there is a flash flood watch in effect until 1 p.m. today.  

By MARGARET BAKER SUN HERALD   JACKSON COUNTY – Beach Boulevard in Pascagoula is underwater, with the tidal surge from Hurricane Gustav pushing more water further inland from Pascagoula Street to Washington Avenue.  

“I don’t think the worse has gotten here yet,” Mayor A.J. Holloway said this morning at 10:15, as the city endured wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph and a 10 to 12 feet tidal surge in some areas of the peninsula.   The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for Harrison County until 4 p.m.. The area continues to be under a hurricane warning and flash flood watch.

Melissa Bryant with Coast Electric said that as of 10:30 a.m., there are 26,000 custormers without power.  About 5,000 are in Harrison County and there are scattered outages in Pearl River County. But the majority, Bryant said, is in Hancock County south of Interstate 10.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTHWESTERN HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... * UNTIL 1100 AM CDT * AT 1025 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR LYMAN...OR 12 MILES NORTH OF GULFPORT...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 60 MPH. * THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...

Three people were rescued from the shores of Jordan River in Hancock County around 8:30 a.m. today.   A resident called the Kiln Fire Department in Hancock County for help because of flooding in the Jordan River area. The fire department responded around 7:30 a.m. and there were no injuries reported.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTHEASTERN HANCOCK COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... EAST CENTRAL PEARL RIVER COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTHEASTERN HANCOCK COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... CENTRAL HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... SOUTH CENTRAL PEARL RIVER COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...

Power outages and storm surge   PEARL – Coastal cities in Mississippi are experiencing impacts from Hurricane Gustav.   Highway 90 in Harrison County is closed at this time due to storm surge.   “We urge people to avoid driving on the roadways if at all possible, and if it is not possible be extremely cautious,” said MEMA Director Mike Womack.   

* TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTHEASTERN HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... WEST CENTRAL JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... * UNTIL 945 AM CDT * AT 909 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 24 MILES EAST OF SAUCIER...OR 8 MILES NORTH OF OCEAN SPRINGS...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 51 MPH. * THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...

Here's a rundown of road closings:   -- In Pass Christian, the harbor was flooded by 6:20 a.m., as were Grayson and Davis, Sweet Bay on the read of Timberidge, US 90 east/westbound, Henderson Street between flat bridge and Larosa bridge, Cedar at North.   -- Coast Guard Station Gulfport was flooding at 7 a.m.   -- At 7:10, Espy to Holiday, North Street between davis and St.

Hurricane Gustav has weakened to a Category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is about miles south of New Orleans and is moving northwest at 16 mph. The storm will make landfall later today along the coast of Louisiana. South Mississippi already is feeling the effects of the storm as wind and rain have moved into the area.

Tropical storm force winds are hitting Harrison County, according to county emergency management officials. They may get stronger.   Storm surge is flooding low-lying areas and causing rivers to rise.   A curfew remains in effect for Harrison County. If you break the curfew and go driving, do not cross flooded streets and roads. Flood waters can wear gullies not visible from the surface.

At 7 a.m., the water was up nearly to U.S. 90 at Jones Park .

By MARGARET BAKER SUN HERALD   JACKSON COUNTY   - Some street flooding has been reported this morning in various low-lying areas in Jackson County.   Jackson County emergency management officials have received reports of street flooding on Grand Bature Road around the north end of Bayou Cumbest in southeast Jackson County.  

Cindy Duvall at Mississippi Power reports:   *       We expect extensive outages.   *       Know our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible.   *       Our goal is to get the power on as fast as possible. 

The wind is starting to pick up in Pearl at the state's emergency operations center. There isn't a lot of rain yet, but the wind has started to blow a little harder. Looking at the radar, it seems as though the conditions here and on the Coast will be worse before the storm makes landfall and continues moving west, likely around mid-day.

Charles Aldrich, the University of South Alabama storm chaser from St. Martin we mentioned last night is out documenting the storm , reported sighting a funnel cloud over the Port of Gulfport. He said they'd seen numerous arcs from power poles.   "There was one big arc right after the power went out," he said. "When it arced, you could see the funnel cloud."  

 Straight from the horse's mouth:       HURRICANE GUSTAV INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER  31A NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL   AL072008 600 AM CDT MON SEP 01 2008 ...EYE OF GUSTAV NEARING THE LOUISIANA COAST...HURRICANE FORCE WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA...

The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Gustav is located about 115 miles south-southeast of New Orleans and it continues to  move northwest at about 16 mph. That motion is expected to continue through landfall, which is still expected along the central Louisiana coastline.  

The 1 a.m. public advisory is out from the National Hurricane Center and the storm continues on it's path to the northwest. It's about 170 miles south-southeast of New Orleans.   The storm's maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph, making it a Category 3 storm. Some strengthening remains possible before a landfall around noon today.   South Mississippi remains under a hurricane warning.

Just walked outside and we're not getting any rain at the moment. We're also seeing a light breeze, but that's about it. I know the feeder bands are on the way.

The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center shows Hurricane Gustav is about 220 miles southeast of New Orleans and is moving northwest at 16 mph. Gustav has winds of 115 mph and could strengthen slightly, but still is expected to be a Category 3 storm when it makes landfall on the Louisiana coast early Monday afternoon.

See the video here .

The latest round of numbers from the nine public storm shelters in Harrison County say there are 1,097 taking refuge from Hurricane Gustav.   Central Elementary in Gulfport has 180 people in shelters, the most. Saucier Elementary  had 42, the lowest. Coast Transit Authority transported 99 people to shelters between 5:30 and 9 p.m.  

Earlier on Sunday evening. Gov. Haley Barbour was getting wired up to do a live interview with Fox News' Shepherd Smith. The cell phone Barbour was using belonged to one of his staffers. When the phone rang, Barbour thought it was Smith. Instead, it was the staffer's girlfriend. He had to tell her it was Barbour who answered his cell phone. He called her back later.

Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Johnny Poulos said traffic on I-59 continues to flow despite some reports from other media outlets. Poulos said that in Poplarville, the flow of traffic goes from four lanes to two lanes, so the traffic is moving a little slower, but it is moving.

The six South Mississippi counties (George, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River and Stone) are under a tornado watch until 7 a.m., the National Weather Service has announced.

Just ran into four students from the University of South Alabama Storm Intercept Team in downtown Gulfport. They're bunkered down with some impressive technology to observe the storm.   They have 10 people on the team, in all, including Charles Aldrich, a senior from St. Martin. He wants to go on a be a National Weather Service forecaster after graduation.

By MARGARET BAKER SUN HERALD   PASCAGOULA – All Jackson County offices and courts are officially closed Tuesday because of Hurricane Gustav.     Also, Jackson County Public Information Officer Ken Flanagan is encouraging any residents wishing to evacuate to do so as soon as possible.  

There are 682 residents in the nine Harrison County shelters operated by the American Red Cross, according to Joshua Joachim.   "There are a lot of people showing up, and we're getting them checked in," he said.   The shelters that have opened have a capacity of about 5,000. There are lines at some of the shelters still trying to get checked in.

Coast Transit Authority Director Kevin Coggin said today's first-ever use of school buses to evacuate people to Jackson's Mississippi Coliseum was a success. The evacuees reported to local community centers and were transported by CTA to the Harrison County Skate Park on DeBuys Road.  

The Mississippi Department of Transportation says all exits are open on Interstate 59 and US 11.

The National Hurricane Center says Gustav is moving northwest at about 17 mph, with a decrease in forward speed duirng the next two days. The storm is expected to make landfall on the Louisiana coast on Monday.   Winds are now near 115 mph with higher gusts, making Gustav a Category 3 storm. Intensification is expected tonight and it should be a major hurricane when it hits.  

Gov. Haley Barbour and MEMA Director Mike Womack said they have been impressed with the leadership on the Coast during preparations for Hurricane Gustav, as well as the response from citizens. Both said they believe residents are taking this storm seriously and are preparing and evacuating. At 7 p.m. Gustav was near the center of the Gulf of Mexico and was moving northwest at 17 mph.

Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway said he's encouraged by the westward track of Hurricane Gustav.   "It's not as bad as it sounded yesterday," he said, "but we will still get wind and water, and even a slight jog to the east in the track could significantly increase the winds and water. You never know when you're out of the woods."  

Check it out here .

Let me be the first to say it: FEEDER BAND! (Sorry, inside joke in the Sun Herald newsroom.)   All jokes aside, strong thunderstorms are moving through Harrison, Hancock and Pearl River counties. The line of thunderstorms will be near:   PEARLINGTON BY 635 PM... LAKE CATHERINE BY 640 PM... STENNIS SPACE CENTER AND VIOLET BY 645 PM...

Harrison County wants to squelch a rumor that Biloxi High School is a special needs shelter. It is not, and there are no special needs shelters in Harrison County.   People with special needs who need shelter should call the Emergency Operations Center medical desk at 865-4111 right away.

Although most forecast tracks show Gustav heading toward the central Louisiana coastline to the west of us, there are obviously still concerns here. One is, of course, that a jog to the east would put us under the gun.   Even if that doesn't happen, there's still going to be some storm surge given our likely position in the northeast quadrant of the storm.

At the Harrison County Emergency Operations Center, word is that traffic is being slowed down by heavy rains on Interstate 10 in Jackson County. The average speed, however, still is around 60 mph, so it's barely a speed bump at the moment.  

Harrison County EMA Director Rupert Lacy said the county's evacuation plans are being put into force without any major problems.   Also just saw Coast Transit Authority Director Kevin Coggin and he said the out-of-county transportation leaving from the Harrison County Skate Park will close down at 6 p.m.

Gustav weakened slightly overnight, and its winds dropped to 125 mph; however, weather experts believe the storm will gain strength again as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico. South Mississippi is under a hurricane warning, and could start seeing some of Gustav's rain this afternoon. The storm is expected to make landfall about 2 p.m. Monday on the coast of Louisiana.    

    The alarm bells are ringing in Louisiana, especially New Orleans. With the third anniversary of Katrina on everybody's minds, that city is getting ready to evacuate its people.   Most of the experts are calling for that evacuation. Jeff Lightbown says Gustav could flirt with Category 5 status over the Gulf of Mexico , but will probably calm before reaching landfall.

    I think back to the olden days, and outside of Nash Roberts and his pegboard map we never would have been debating whether a storm that was five days away would hit Hancock County or Plaquemines Parish. Even with computer models, it's absurd to be doing that today.   Absurd.   Remember, pay attention to that big circle on these prediction maps.

Gas stations throughout South Mississippi were busy Thursday morning, and the Kangaroo at Lorraine Road and Interstate 10 ran out of gas about 9:30 a.m. Station manager Sharon Jones said they began seeing more cars Wednesday afternoon and that people seemed panicked. A gas truck from Pascagoula arrived at about 11:30 a.m. today.

Gustav is still a tropical storm as of the 10 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center with winds near 70 mph. The storm is headed for Jamaica, where rainfall totals across that country and the Cayman Islands is expected to be 6-12 inches.   The storm is moving to the west at 5 mph.  

No, Gustav hasn't disappeared or anything like that. (Darn it.)   Instead, the storm took a turn to the southwest overnight and popped up in an unexpected position that's going to be bad news for Jamaica. Rob Lightbown at Crown Weather Services points out that the computer models are now tracking further to the west, meaning a possible strike in central or western Louisiana or into Texas.

 Jeff Masters from Weather Underground says a low pressure trough moving across the Midwest will determine the fate of those of us along the Gulf Coast.   Accuweather.com, which SunHerald.com uses for its weather data, started Wednesday with a forecast track well to the west and much slower than the National Hurricane Center .

Here are some useful links from our weather pages:   What's going on here, today?: www.sunherald.com/weather   What's going on with the tropics?: www.sunherald.com/tracking   Here's the latest predicted storm track for Gustav .   Here's the latest spaghetti map with all the models displayed .   Here are current watches and warnings for Gustav .

It's not too early to start looking at your plans for hurricane preparedness. Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney says South Mississippians should take a hard look at their policies as Gustav churns into the Gulf of Mexico. You can check the links to the right to help get you ready for the storm.  

Hello, Gustav.   That's as friendly as I wanna be with what looks like a potentially scary storm. SunHerald.com has the latest hurricane news ,  hurricane tracking  and hurricane preparedness information .   In other Gustav news: What's the No. 1 site that shows up when you Google "Gustav": Gustav's Pub in the Pacific Northwest.