Tropical storm watch issued for Gulf Coast as Cristobal turns north. Here’s the forecast
Forecasters issued a tropical storm watch for parts of the Gulf Coast Friday as Cristobal moves north over the Gulf of Mexico.
The tropical storm watch runs from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, east to the Alabama-Florida border. The watch includes New Orleans, Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama.
A storm surge watch is in effect for Indian Pass to Aripeka, Florida, and from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Tropical depression Cristobal strengthened back into a tropical storm Friday as it began to move back out into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm had been stalled over Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
Cristobal is moving north at 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
Forecasters say Gulf Coast residents from East Texas to the Florida Panhandle could see tropical storm force winds over the weekend. There’s also the potential for “dangerous storm surge from Louisiana to the Florida Big Bend,” according to the National Hurricane Center.
Cristobal was downgraded as it sat over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and brought torrential rain to Southern Mexico and parts of Central America, causing flooding and mudslides in the region, the National Hurricane Center said.
Parts of Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador have seen as much as 35 inches of rain from Cristobal in recent days.
As of Friday morning, the center of Tropical Storm Cristobal is forecast to make landfall over Louisiana around 1 a.m. Monday, but the projected path could shift.
The National Hurricane Center cautioned Friday morning: “The strongest winds, highest storm surge, and heaviest rains could be well removed from the center of circulation. Therefore, it is important that users do not focus on the exact forecast path of the center of the cyclone. “
Forecasters say strong winds and storm surge will likely begin “well in advance of and extend well east of Cristobal’s center.”
The heaviest rains are expected in southeast Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast.
Parts of the eastern and central Gulf Coast and inland into the lower Mississippi Valley could see 4 to 8 inches of rain by Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said. Some areas could see up to 12 inches of rain. The areas could see rivers and streams flood in the coming days and forecasters say to expect flash flooding.
Tropical storm force winds, at least 39 mph, could arrive along the Gulf Coast as early as Saturday night, the National Hurricane Center said.
Much of southeast Louisiana and coastal Mississippi was already under a flood watch as forecasters eyed Cristobal’s track over Mexico.
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 10:00 AM.
