Tropical Storm Claudette forms, moves inland
June 19, 2021
Spc. Cullen McKay Beeson
June 20, 2021
From the National Hurricane Center:
The Tropical Storm Warning has been discontinued from the Mouth of the Mississippi River westward to Morgan City, Louisiana, and for Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from the Mouth of the Mississippi River to the Okaloosa/Walton County line, Fla.
Tropical storm conditions should continue along the coast in
the warning area for a few more hours.
A Tropical Storm Watch is now in effect from Cape Fear to Duck, North Carolina, including Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area Sunday night and Monday.
At 10 a.m. CDT, the center of Tropical Storm Claudette was located inland about 75 miles (120 km) north-northeast of New Orleans, La., and about 95 miles (155 km) west-northwest of Mobile, Ala. It’s moving toward the north-northeast near 14 mph (22 km/h). A turn toward the northeast is expected later today, followed by a motion toward the east-northeast tonight or Sunday. On the forecast track, the system should move farther inland across portions of southeast U.S. through Sunday night, and over the western Atlantic Ocean on Monday.
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles (335 km) southeast of the center.
Claudette is expected to weaken to a tropical depression later today, but then become a tropical storm again when it moves across the Carolinas Sunday night or early Monday.
Claudette is expected to produce rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches across portions of coastal Mississippi and Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle through the afternoon. Considerable flash, urban and small stream flooding impacts as well as new and renewed minor to isolated moderate river flooding are likely across these areas.
As the system continues to lift northeast through the weekend, heavy rain will occur across central Alabama, central and northern Georgia, and into the Piedmont of the Carolinas, resulting in rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 8 inches. Flash, urban, small stream and isolated minor river flooding impacts are possible.
The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide…
– Mouth of the Pearl River to Okaloosa/Walton County Line, FL…2-3 ft
– Mobile Bay…2-3 ft
– Mouth of the Mississippi River to Mouth of the Pearl River…1-2 ft
– Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Borgne…1-2 ft
– Okaloosa/Walton County Line, FL to Panama City, FL…1-2 ft
Pensacola Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, Saint Andrew Bay…1-2 ft
– Cape Lookout, NC to NC/VA state line…1-3 ft
A few tornadoes are possible today and tonight across southeast Alabama, the western Florida Panhandle, and southwest Georgia.
The next complete advisory will be issued by NHC at 4 p.m. CDT with an intermediate advisory at 1 p.m. CDT
