4 p.m. Update: The National Hurricane Center has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for our area due to the large wind field to the east of the storm. The definition of a Tropical Storm Warning includes sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph expected somewhere within the specified coastal area within 36 hours.
Escambia County is encouraging residents to closely monitor the weather forecast this weekend and take precautions as needed through Sunday, June 7. The National Weather Service of Mobile is forecasting local impacts to include heavy rainfall, possible coastal flooding, possible tornadoes, high risk of rip currents and high surf.
According to NWS of Mobile, Tropical Depression Cristobal is forecast to move north towards the north central Gulf Coast and re-strengthen to a tropical storm over the weekend. Frequent wind gusts of 10-20 mph are likely on Sunday. Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is expected through Sunday afternoon.
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 Sunday morning.
- Organizations with planned outside activities during the weekend need to be weather aware and take the appropriate actions.
Tornado safety tips from the National Weather Service:
- GET IN - If you are outside, get inside. If you're already inside, get as far into the middle of the building as possible.
- GET DOWN - Get underground if possible. If you cannot, go to the lowest floor possible.
- COVER UP - Flying and falling debris are a storm's number one killer. Use pillows, blankets, coats, helmets, etc to cover up and protect your head and body from flying debris.
- An extensive list of tornado safety tips and scenarios is available at weather.gov/ama/severesafetytips.
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.
Tips to maintain COVID-19 best practices while sheltering during severe weather:
Stay informed with these additional local resources: