Residents Encouraged to Monitor Potential Severe Weather Through Thursday Evening

Escambia County is encouraging residents to closely monitor the weather forecast this afternoon and take precautions as needed through tomorrow, Thursday, Feb 6. The National Weather Service of Mobile is forecasting local impacts to include heavy rainfall, potentially damaging winds, high risk of rip currents, high surf and dense fog. 

A Flash Flood Watch and Dense Fog Advisory are in effect from 3 p.m. this afternoon through Thursday evening. According to NWS Mobile, heavy rainfall will move across our region around 4 p.m today. Heavy rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is expected, with 3 to 5 inches possible within the Flash Flood Watch area. Locally heavier amounts of 6 inches or more will be possible, especially along the I-65 corridor. 

High surf is expected to build to 4-7 feet late Wednesday evening through Thursday morning, with dangerous rip currents present. Pensacola Beach is currently flying a yellow flag, with red flags anticipated on Thursday. While red flags are in place, all beach goers will only be allowed access to the sand and shore, and will not be allowed to swim or wade in the Gulf of Mexico. More information on the flag system is available online here.

Follow these tips to stay safe during severe weather:

• Pay extra attention to local weather reports until the storm has moved through the area. Be sure to keep your weather radio on and your cell phone charged to ensure you can receive weather alerts. 
• With the possibility of high winds, it is recommended that any lightweight outside furniture or equipment be secured before Wednesday afternoon.
• Organizations with planned outside activities during this Slight Risk period need to be weather aware and take the appropriate actions.
• Turn around, don't drown: In the event of a roadway covered by water, do not attempt to drive over the flooded road. Water depth may be misleading, and you could end up stranded or trapped.

For the latest information on severe weather impacting Escambia County, residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts on myescambia.com, like Escambia County Emergency Management on Facebook and follow @BeReadyEscambia on Twitter.

Stay informed with these additional local resources:

• Escambia County real-time road closures map: View Escambia County road closures map online here.
• City of Pensacola real-time road closures map: View City of Pensacola road closures map online here.
• National Weather Service Mobile/Pensacola: weather.gov/mob or facebook.com/nwsmobile
• Pensacola 311 (non-emergencies only): Citizens have three easy ways to contact 311: Simply dialing 311, visiting cityofpensacola.com/311, or by downloading our Pensacola 311 mobile app, available for iPhone/iPad, Android, and Blackberry.
• City notifications: cityofpensacola.com/List.aspx