A child has been killed in Florida after a tree was blown on top of his mobile home in an incident which may be linked to Tropical Storm Gordon.
04.48am (10.48pm CST) update: Child killed in Florida as tree blown onto trailer in weather storm
But the NHC said: "Rapid weakening is forecast after Gordon moves inland, and is forecast to become a tropical depression on Wednesday.”
The tropical storm made landfall just west of the Alabama-Mississippi border, lashing the US Gulf Coast with high winds and heavy rain.
No one else inside the home was injured.
It took place in Escambia County, near the city of Pensacola.
03.22am (9.22pm CST) update: Gordon approaches the shores
Storm Gordon will cross the coast near the Mississippi Alabama border tonight.
Tropical storm conditions are already effecting the Florida and Alabama coastlines and will spread across South Mississippi as well as the Parishes along the Pearl River including Eastern St. Tammany and Washington.
01.54am (7.54pm CST) update: Storm Gordon's impact on Florida's coastline
Even though Florida avoided a direct hit, from the Treasure Coast to Palm Beach County, Tropical Storm Gordon was strong enough to impact the coastline.
Parts of the St. Lucie County shoreline are now filled with seaweed, and the storm caused some erosion and helped create a 2-4 foot cliff on the beach.
00.42am (6.42pm CST) update: Gordon picks up "little strenght"
Tropical Storm Gordon has picked up “a little” strength and it is expected to make landfall by Tuesday night, officials said.
The NHC 5pm update reads: “On the forecast track, the centre of Gordon will make landfall along the north-central Gulf Coast within the hurricane warning area this evening or tonight, and move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley through Wednesday.”
“Some additional strengthening is still possible, and Gordon could become a hurricane before landfall occurs along the north-central Gulf Coast this evening.”
The storm is expected to quickly lose strength as it moves over land, the NHC said.
Tropical Storm Gordon is expected to make landfall tonight along the northern Gulf Coast, possibly as a hurricane. A hurricane warning has been issued for the Alabama and Mississippi coasts and tropical storm warnings are posted for other portions of the northern Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center said the storm is located about 190 miles (305km) east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi with maximum sustained winds of 65mph. The hurricane warning is in force from the mouth of the Pearl River, Mississippi to the border between Alabama and Florida.
The tropical storm warning are from west of the mouth of the Pearl River, Mississippi to east of Morgan City, Louisiana, including Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas, as well as from the Alabama-Florida border to the Okaloosa-Walton County line in Florida. The storm is due to come ashore late on Tuesday near the border between Louisiana and Mississippi and drop as much as eight inches of rain in areas still recovering from last year’s hurricanes. Gordon is centred about 190 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and it was moving at relatively fast speed for a tropical cyclone - between 15mph and 20mph. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency warned of storm surges of between 3 and 5 feet and told South Mississippi residents to be prepared to evacuate.
Hurricane Gordon path: Hurricane and tropical storm warning are in place for parts of the US
The heavy rainbands are moving toward the Florida Gulf Coast and have cleared the rest of the Florida Peninsula. Gordon is forecast to be a Category 1 hurricane by the time it make landfall on the northern Gulf Coast tonight along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The heaviest rainfall from Gordon is expected to happen along or to the east of its track, where up to 12 inches of rain is possible in some areas. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency and said 200 Louisiana National Guardsmen were being deployed, along with 63 high-water trucks, 39 boats and four helicopters.
Hurricane Gordon path: Gordon is forecast to be a Category 1 hurricane when it makes landfall
The National Hurricane Center has warned residents in southeastern Louisiana, southern and central Mississippi, far southeastern Arkansas, southwestern Alabama and the western Florida panhandle. The US Coast Guard said the ports of New Orleans as well as Gulfport and Pascagoula, Mississippi, may have to close within 48 hours. Last year, powerful hurricanes hit Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, causing thousands of deaths, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of damage and massive power outages. A storm surge warning has been issued from Shell Beach, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Mississippi River and from east of Dauphin Island, Alabama to Navarre, Florida.
Hurricane Gordon path: The times when winds up to 65mph will hit the US
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Tropical Storm Gordon lashed South Florida with heavy rains and high winds on Monday. The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane when it hits the central U.S. Gulf Coast either Tuesday night or early Wednesday.
Gordon is expected to reach hurricane strength by late Tuesday when it hits the Gulf Coast, including coastal Mississippi. From there, it is forecast to move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.
The storm was centered 70 miles south of Mobile, Alabama and 75 miles from Biloxi, Mississippi as of the 7 p.m. It moved 20 miles closer to shore in two hours. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in their 7 p.m. ET advisory.
A hurricane warning was put into effect for the area stretching from the mouth of the Pearl River in Mississippi to the Alabama-Florida border. As much as 8 inches of rain could fall in some parts of the Gulf states through late Thursday.
Summary of watches and advisories still in effect
Hurricane warning for the mouth of the Pearl River to the Alabama-Florida border
Tropical storm warning for areas west of the mouth of hte Pearl River to the mouth of the Mississippi River, including Lake Pontchartrain
Tropical storm warning from the Alabama-Florida border to the Okaloosa-Walton County line in Florida
Storm surge warning in Alabama from Shell Beach to Dauphin Island
A storm surge watch is in effect for areas west of Shell Beach to the mouth of the Mississippi River and from East of Dauphin Island, Alabama to Navarre, Florida
The Miami-based center said the storm is also expected to bring "life-threatening" storm surge to portions of the central Gulf Coast. A storm surge warning has been issued for the area stretching from Shell Beach, Louisiana, to Dauphin Island, Alabama. The warning means there is danger of life-threatening inundation. The region could see rising waters of 3 to 5 feet
"The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves," the center said.
Tropica Storm Gordon path
National Hurricane Center
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Monday and said 200 National Guard troops will be deployed to southeastern Louisiana.
The storm's predicted track had shifted slightly east as of Monday evening, meaning Louisiana is currently just outside the area under the hurricane warning. Still, the southeastern part of the state remains under a tropical storm warning and residents need to be prepared for the storm to shift west, Edwards said.
"This storm has every possibility to track further in our direction," Edwards said in a news conference Monday evening.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell held an afternoon news conference and said the city has "the pumps and the power" needed to protect residents. But authorities issued a voluntary evacuation order for areas outside the city's levee protection system, including the Venetian Isles, Lake Saint Catherine and Irish Bayou areas.
Cantrell urged residents within the levee protection area to stock up on supplies and shelter in place.
Miami Beach Police tweeted that the Labor Day holiday was "NOT a beach day," with rough surf and potential rip currents. Red flags flew over Pensacola-area beaches in Florida's Panhandle, where swimming and wading in the Gulf of Mexico was prohibited. More than 4,000 Florida Power & Light customers lost power Monday due to weather conditions.
The National Weather Service said conditions were "possible" for tornadoes in the affected parts of South Florida on Monday night.
The storm left many businesses on Florida's Gulf Coast feeling shortchanged by the holiday weekend. The area has already been heavily impacted by this summer's so-called "red tide"- massive algae blooms that have caused waves of dead marine life to wash up along the coast.
Jenna Wright, owner of a coffee shop in Naples, Florida, told Naples Daily News that she had expected higher numbers for the Labor Day weekend.
"This is normally a decent weekend, but the storm and red tide aren't helping," Wright said. "We're a beach coffee shop, and if people can't go to the beach, then we won't get any customers."
Separately, Tropical Storm Florence continues to hold steady over the eastern Atlantic. Forecasters say little change in strength is expected in coming days and no coastal watches or warnings are in effect.
Jim Cantore is here, schools have closed and warnings and some evacuations have been issued — it’s looking like hurricane season in South Mississippi.
As Tropical Storm Gordon strengthens in the Gulf of Mexico, the storm is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall near Biloxi on the Mississippi Coast, the National Weather Service predicts.
Keep up with live updates from the National Weather Service, the Weather Channel and Jim Cantore as Gordon inches closer to South Mississippi.
Want to get in on the action? Tweet photos from Gordon using the #Gordon to be featured on the update reel.
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For local, real-time Gordon updates, visit SunHerald.com.
