Hurricane Sally Makes Landfall as Category 2 Storm in Alabama

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Sep 16, 2020 07:33 AM EDT

Hurricane Sally Makes Landfall On Gulf Coast

(Photo : by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) A driver navigates along a flooded road as the outer bands of Hurricane Sally come ashore on September 15, 2020 in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.

Hurricane Sally made landfall on the northern Gulf Coast early Wednesday, bringing life-threatening floods.

In a Fox News report, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Hurricane Sally made landfall just before 5 a.m. CDT near Gulf Shores, Alabama.

It roared ashore as a Category 2 storm, said a CNN report. Sally had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

With its slow-moving pace, it left thousands of people without power near coastal areas of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle region.

"Catastrophic and life-threatening flooding likely along portions of the north-central Gulf Coast," the NHC said.

'Newly Strengthened'

According to Associated Press, a "newly strengthened" Sally pummeled through Florida Panhandle and south Alabama.

Its strong winds caused sideways rains and storm surges that covered the beach early Wednesday. Some 150,000 homes and businesses lost power by early Wednesday, as per the PowerOutage.US site.

A curfew was also called in the coastal Alabama city of Gulf Shores because of the life-threatening conditions that Sally posed to the public.

Sally's northern eyewall is hitting the Gulf Coast with very strong winds. Rain also pours on from Pensacola Beach, Florida to Dauphin Island, Alabama, said the NHC.

Forecasters said the storm's complete landfall won't come until later Wednesday. This is when the center of the slow moving hurricane finally gets to shore.

It is still centered about 50 miles south-southeast of Mobile, Alabama. It is also 40 miles southwest off of Pensacola, Florida. Its top winds are at 105 mph and it is moving northeast at 3mph.

Could Get Stronger

NHC's senior specialist Stacy Stewart said the Category 2 hurricane can still grow stronger as it moves inland.

He added that the hurricane will bring "catatrophic and life threatening" rainfall over parts of the Gulf Coast, Panhandle and southeastern Alabama.

Steward added that the dangers that come with the hurricane are going to continue after it has made landfall as the storm is producing heavy rainfall.