Hurricane Sally continues to shift with landfall now expected tomorrow morning, east of the Mississippi/Alabama line in the Mobile Bay Area.
Governor Tate Reeves provided the latest update on the storm this afternoon, and while the storm’s shift to the east is good news for the state, there is still a threat of catastrophic rainfall and storm surges.
“We do continue to believe, regardless of where the eye of the storm hits landfall, that we will see over 15 inches of rain for portions of Jackson County and as much as 10 inches of rain throughout Jackson and George Counties,” Governor Reeves said.
The center of Hurricane Sally continues to track toward the AL and FL coast, with the threat for impacts in our portion of Mississippi continuing to decrease. Heavy rainfall may still clip the I-59 corridor over the next couple days and surge remains a threat along the coast. pic.twitter.com/nA8eRfDVGF
— NWS Jackson MS (@NWSJacksonMS) September 15, 2020
He also explained that flash flooding potential exists in Harrison, Jackson, George, Greene and Wayne Counties. Clarke County could also see as much as four inches of rain.
If you live in low lying areas along the coast, especially in Jackson County, the governor warned that “the time to get out is now.”
There are numerous shelters that are currently open. For a list of those shelters, click here.
Despite the news that the storm has shifted, Governor Reeves stressed the unpredictably of Sally.
“Please do not underestimate the possibilities that exist now, because I will tell you that the range of possibilities from this point forward remain very large— from a direct hit on Mississippi all the way to it ticking even further to the east and maybe not even having significant effects on us with the exception of a lot of rainfall and a lot of water,” he said.
He added that it “would not take a lot” over the next 8-12 hours for the storm to tick back west toward Mississippi.
Monday, President Trump approved a federal disaster request for 24 Mississippi counties.
Watch the governor’s full update below:
SuperTalk Mississippi LIVE https://t.co/DcsgONAIIL
— SuperTalk Mississippi (@supertalk) September 15, 2020
