Alberto Maintains Strength As It Approaches Gulf Coast
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for parts of Florida as the center of Subtropical Storm Alberto will likely reach the northern Gulf Coast Monday afternoon or evening.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in an advisory issued at 8 a.m. that the storm's center was located about 100 miles south-southeast of Destin, Florida, and moving north at 6 mph. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 65 mph.
"On the forecast track, the center of Alberto will move over the northern Gulf of Mexico overnight and cross the northern Gulf Coast in the warning area on Monday," the National Hurricane Center said.
It warned of life-threatening surf conditions, the possibility of a few brief tornadoes in much of Florida and parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama. And, it said, heavy rains are also expected in many areas.
Storm surges are also expected to be as high as four feet in some areas. Many spent the holiday weekend filling sandbags while businesses closed down as the storm moved in.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a hurricane season forecast Thursday that calls for 10 to 16 named storms, with five to nine hurricanes. One to four hurricanes could be "major" with sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
If that forecast holds, it would make for a near-normal or above-normal season. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.
The hurricane season doesn't officials begin until Friday.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
