Hurricane Sally watches and warnings: What’s the difference between the alerts?
As Hurricane Sally hovers off the Gulf Coast, it has prompted weather alerts along the coastline.
Sally, expected to get stronger after it was upgraded Monday from a tropical storm, prompted a hurricane warning from southeastern Louisiana to the Alabama-Florida border, according to forecasters.
Parts of the Mississippi coast are also under a storm surge alert Monday as Sally is expected to reach land Tuesday in the hurricane warning zone, the National Hurricane Center said.
So, what’s the difference between weather watches and warnings?
In general, warnings come when there’s a more imminent threat.
“A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area,” forecasters say. “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”
When a place is under a hurricane watch, it could see sustained winds of at least 74 mph over the next two days, according to the National Weather Service. Under hurricane watches and warnings, strong winds, storm surge and flooding are possible.
When a tropical storm warning is issued for a certain location, it means that area is expected to see sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph or higher within the next 36 hours, according to the National Weather Service. A tropical storm watch means those conditions are possible in the specified area in 48 hours, officials say.
In either case, the “winds may be accompanied by storm surge, coastal flooding, and/or river flooding,” forecasters say.
For storm surge, a warning is issued when “there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours,” the National Hurricane Center said. In the event of this warning, forecasters say people should act to protect their families and properties.
The alerts for Hurricane Sally come during a busy hurricane season. As of Monday morning, six named tropical systems, including Sally, were on the National Hurricane Center’s maps for the Atlantic and Pacific regions.
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 11:09 AM.
