Stormy Morning Along the Gulf Coast

It has not been a good morning for beachcombing along the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast from Dauphin Island to Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Pensacola. More suited for sleeping in and listening to it thunder.

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Thunderstorms developed during the early morning hours from southeastern Louisiana to Fort Walton along a northward moving warm front. The storms started out as elevated storms with their bases forming in unstable air up above the surface. This makes for some long lightning strokes and booming thunder.

There have been a few severe thunderstorm warnings this morning along the coast, first on the eastern end around Panama City and Apalachicola. Then storms in southeastern Louisiana triggered warnings from the NWS New Orleans.

Half dollar sized hail (1.25 inches) was reported in Ascension Parish Louisiana at 5:35. Hail to 1.5 inches was reported around Gonzalez about that time. The photo is from a WAFB Baton Rouge viewer in Gonzalez.

Those storms are entering Hancock County, MS at this time, but they seemed to have weakened a bit and all severe thunderstorm warnings have expired.

The heaviest rainfall so far has been right along the coast of Baldwin County in Alabama and Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in Florida. Doppler estimates show in excess of three inches right along the coast in these areas.

Flash flood warnings continue at this hour for several parishes in southeastern Louisiana. Rainfall amounts of over two inches have been reported by Doppler radar south of New Orleans in Jefferson and Plaquemines Parish. Another flash flood warning was just canceled for Bay County in the Florida Panhandle around Panama City.

So far, the rain has stayed south of US-80 in South Alabama this morning, with the first wave over that part of the staet already moving into Georgia. Showers were getting heavier though over Clarke and Monroe Counties in Southwest Alabama. These showers

Category: Alabama's Weather