6:20 p.m. ET, September 15, 2020
Hurricane Sally's winds spreading onshore along Gulf Coast
From CNN's Brandon Miller
Hurricane Sally’s wind field is beginning to push onshore along the US Gulf Coast, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical-storm-force winds, meaning sustained winds of 39 mph or greater, with higher gusts, have started to impact coastal locations of Alabama, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle on Tuesday afternoon. Mobile, Alabama, reported a wind gust of 55 mph in the last hour, while Okaloosa, Florida had a gust to 52 mph.
Along with the gusty winds, torrential rainfall is occurring for much of southern Alabama and western Florida, and the NHC warns of “historic life-threatening flooding” for the region.
Rainfall has already totaled up to six inches in the Florida Panhandle and up to 20 inches could fall in places before the storm leaves the region on Thursday.
Currently, the center of Hurricane Sally is located about 90 miles southwest of Pensacola, Florida, or a little over 50 miles south of Dauphin Island, Alabama. The hurricane-force-winds (75 mph or greater) extend outward up to 40 miles from the center, while the tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 125 miles.