JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Alberto, the first named storm of the season, continues to track to north while maintaining its strength. The storm is moving at 8 mph with a projected landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast later today.
At 2 p.m.., the National Hurricane Center reported maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with Alberto. Forecasters expect little change in strength before Alberto reaches the northern Gulf Coast later today. The subtropical storm is expected to make landfall between Panama City and Pensacola by this evening.
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A tropical storm warning runs from the mouth of the Suwannee River to the Alabama/Mississippi border. A storm surge watch extends from the Suwannee River to Navarre, Florida, just east of Pensacola. Destin and Panama City Beach are within the watch area.
NHC 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.
Once Alberto is inland, land interaction should cause steady weakening to a subtropical depression tonight or early Tuesday and to a remnant low by Tuesday afternoon.
Across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia, we'll see a decrease in rainy activity into Memorial Day as we fit into Alberto's dry slot (between the outer and inner bands of a cyclone) for most of the day on Monday. Storms and showers will return during the afternoon and evening carrying over into Tuesday.
Statewide rainfall amounts will range from 2-6 inches. Wherever heavier bands linger localized flooding is a concern as the storm spreads across the Florida Peninsula and Panhandle.
Tropical storm conditions will spread northward in the warning area along the west coast of Florida today and will reach the warning area along the northern Gulf Coast by this evening.
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.
EXPLAINER: Why is Alberto only subtropical?
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Mark Bowen, the Bay County Emergency management director, said at a Sunday afternoon news conference that the concern isn’t with storm surge due to the timing of landfall and the tides. He said Alberto’s biggest threat will be its heavy rains, with forecasts of anywhere from four to 12 inches of rain in some areas.
In Taylor County, there were voluntary evacuations for those in coastal zones and beach communities, mobile homes, RV parks and low-lying areas. In Gulf County, T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park began evacuations Sunday morning.