Lamont Pepp, Giusto, saluta un automobilista di passaggio di rallentare dopo che l'auto di Pepp si è fermata in acqua alta sul Gause Boulevard a Slidell venerdì sera, 18 giugno 2021, mentre una perturbazione tropicale si avvicinava alla costa della Louisiana. La tempesta tropicale Claudette si è formata sabato mattina lungo la costa del Golfo degli Stati Uniti, portando forti piogge e inondazioni negli stati costieri tra cui la Louisiana, Mississippi e Alabama. Credito:Scott Threlkeld/The Advocate tramite AP
Le autorità in Alabama affermano che un sospetto tornado stimolato dalla tempesta tropicale Claudette ha demolito o gravemente danneggiato almeno 50 case in una piccola città appena a nord del confine con la Florida.
Lo sceriffo Heath Jackson nella contea di Escambia ha detto che un sospetto tornado ha "praticamente raso al suolo" un parco di case mobili, ha abbattuto alberi sulle case e ha strappato il tetto della palestra di un liceo. La maggior parte dei danni è stata fatta dentro o vicino alle città di Brewton e East Brewton, circa 48 miglia (77 chilometri) a nord di Pensacola, Florida.
"Ha in qualche modo colpito tutti, " ha detto Jackson. "Ma con quelle case mobili costruite così vicine l'una all'altra può avere un impatto su di loro molto più di quanto non possa fare sulle case che sono sparse".
Non ci sono state notizie immediate di feriti gravi o morti. Le foto dell'area di Brewton condivise su Facebook mostrano alberi abbattuti, compreso uno che è atterrato su una casa, così come un lungo tratto di detriti che un giornale locale ha detto proveniva da un parcheggio per roulotte gravemente danneggiato.
I danni della tempesta si sono fatti sentire anche nel nord della Florida, dove i venti, che in alcuni casi hanno raggiunto 85 mph (137 km/h), hanno causato il ribaltamento su un lato di un veicolo a 18 ruote.
Il National Hurricane Center ha dichiarato che Claudette è sufficientemente organizzata da qualificarsi come tempesta nominata alle 4 del mattino di sabato, ben dopo che il centro di circolazione della tempesta era arrivato a terra a sud-ovest di New Orleans.
Gli automobilisti percorrono un Gause Boulevard allagato a Slidell, La., tardo venerdì, 18 giugno 2021, mentre una perturbazione tropicale si avvicinava alla costa della Louisiana. La tempesta tropicale Claudette si è formata sabato mattina lungo la costa del Golfo degli Stati Uniti, portando forti piogge e inondazioni negli stati costieri tra cui la Louisiana, Mississippi e Alabama. Credito:Scott Threlkeld/The Advocate via AP
entro sabato sera, Claudette era una depressione tropicale situata a 45 miglia (75 chilometri) a ovest-nordovest di Montgomery, Alabama, con venti sostenuti di 30 mph (45 km/h). Si stava muovendo a nord-est a 14 mph (22 km/h). La maggior parte del maltempo stava accadendo molto a nord e ad est del centro.
Sabato in anticipo, la tempesta ha scaricato piogge alluvionali a nord del lago Pontchartrain in Louisiana e lungo la costa del Mississippi, strade inondanti e, in alcune zone, spingere l'acqua nelle case. Dopo, la tempesta stava inzuppando la Florida Panhandle e, bene nell'entroterra, un'ampia distesa dell'Alabama. Il National Weather Service ha avvertito di possibili tornado nel nord della Florida e nel sud dell'Alabama.
Anche parti dell'entroterra del Mississippi e della Georgia stavano ricevendo forti piogge da Claudette. E anche se la tempesta si stava indebolendo, il National Hurricane Center ha emesso un orologio per le tempeste tropicali per parti della costa della Carolina del Nord, che potrebbero risentirne entro domenica sera. La tempesta è stata prevista per attraversare l'Oceano Atlantico lunedì, e riguadagnare la forza della tempesta tropicale in mare aperto martedì.
Questa immagine satellitare GOES-16 GeoColor scattata venerdì, 18 giugno 2021, alle 11:00 EDT, e fornito da NOAA, mostra un sistema meteorologico tropicale nel Golfo del Messico. I funzionari hanno ordinato la chiusura di un sistema di chiuse e serrature nel sud-est della Louisiana e hanno preparato i sacchi di sabbia in Mississippi e Alabama come un ampio, Il disorganizzato sistema meteorologico tropicale ha iniziato a far girare bande di pioggia e vento pungente sulla costa settentrionale del Golfo del Messico venerdì. Credito:NOAA tramite AP
Residenti di Pace, Florida, chiamato il 911 per segnalare un possibile tornado che ha strappato i tetti di due case e danneggiato almeno altre tre.
"Nessuno è ferito, "ha detto Sarah Whitfield, portavoce della contea di Santa Rosa, dove le case della Florida sono state danneggiate. "We're just thankful it happened after sunrise, " not overnight as people slept.
An 18-wheeler hit several utility poles and flipped on its side during the storm early Saturday. Debris from the accident, including a collapsed utility pole, turned into projectiles and struck a passing SUV, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Highway Patrol officials were to close both lanes of the Interstate 10 bridge between Escambia and Santa Rosa counties due to high winds.
The county received two calls about trees falling onto homes, but no one was home at the time.
Clouds from Tropical Storm Claudette form on Highway 90 Beaches in Pass Christian, Miss., Venerdì, 18 giugno 2021. City of Pass Christian has declared state of emergency for potential severe weather. Credit:Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via AP
The storm left tens of thousands without power and some flights were being canceled or delayed at Pensacola International Airport.
"We have a lot of visitors that are here vacationing, " Escambia County spokesperson Laura Coale said. "Red flags flying out at the beaches so there's absolutely no swimming."
Forecasters said Claudette could dump 5 to 10 inches (12 to 25 centimeters) of rain in the region, with isolated accumulations of 15 inches (38 centimeters) possible.
Residents of Slidell, Louisiana, north of Lake Pontchartrain, reported flooded streets and water in some neighborhoods as the storm pushed onshore overnight. Slidell police said the flooding had largely receded by daybreak, after swamping as many as 50 cars and trucks with water.
Most people riding out the storm still had electricity when they woke up Saturday morning. The website poweroutage.us reported roughly 22, 000 outages total across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
Residents in low-lying areas of Hancock County move their vehicles, lawn mowers, ATVs and boats to higher ground in Waveland, Miss., as a tropical system approaches Friday, 18 giugno 2021. Forecasters predict a tropical system will bring heavy rain, storm surge and coastal flooding to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The poorly organized disturbance was located Friday morning about 255 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana. Credit:Justin Mitchell/The Sun Herald via AP
The storm struck on a weekend when many on the Gulf Coast planned to celebrate Juneteenth and Father's Day.
Business owners across the Gulf Coast, from restaurateurs to swamp boat operators, had anticipated an influx of tourist cash after a year of lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"My biggest concern is that it drives away a busy weekend, and may just end up being a lot of rain, " Austin Sumrall, the owner and chef at the White Pillars Restaurant and Lounge in Biloxi, Mississippi, ha detto venerdì.
He had 170 reservations on his books for Sunday, but was concerned some patrons would cancel.
"We saw, especially last year, the rug can get jerked out from under you pretty quickly, " Egli ha detto.
In Louisiana, the threat came a month after spring storms and flooding that were blamed for five deaths, and as parts of the state continued a slow recovery from a brutal 2020 hurricane season.
Motorists navigate a flooded Gause Boulevard in Slidell, La., late Friday, 18 giugno 2021, as a tropical disturbance neared the Louisiana shore. Tropical Storm Claudette has formed Saturday morning along the U.S. Gulf Coast, bringing heavy rains and flooding to coastal states including Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Credit:Scott Threlkeld/The Advocate via AP
A man takes a photo of waves crashing into what once was a dock for a ferry that transported people from Bay St. Louis to Pass Christian, Miss., as a tropical system moves toward the Mississippi Coast on Friday, 18 giugno 2021. Forecasters predict a tropical system will bring heavy rain, storm surge and coastal flooding to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The poorly organized disturbance was located Friday morning about 255 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana. Credit:Justin Mitchell/The Sun Herald via AP
Motorists navigate a flooded Gause Boulevard in Slidell, La., late Friday, 18 giugno 2021, as a tropical disturbance neared the Louisiana shore. Tropical Storm Claudette has formed Saturday morning along the U.S. Gulf Coast, bringing heavy rains and flooding to coastal states including Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Credit:Scott Threlkeld/The Advocate via AP
A flooded neighborhood is seen after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through in Slidell, La., Il sabato, 19 giugno 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storm's center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans. Credit:AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Danny Gonzales, Giusto, stands in front of his flooded house with his neighbor Bob Neal, upset with power company trucks driving though the flooded neighborhood pushing water back into his home, after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through, in Slidell, La., Il sabato, 19 giugno 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storm's center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans. Credit:AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Marina Kingsmill and her brother Raylan play in the flooded street in front of their home after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through in Slidell, La., Il sabato, 19 giugno 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storm's center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans. Credit:AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Marina Kingsmill and her brother Raylan play in the flooded street in front of their home after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through in Slidell, La., Il sabato, 19 giugno 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storm's center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans. Credit:AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Cal Kingsmill, Jr., and his wife Jessie Kingsmill, point out crickets to their children Marina, 8, and Raylan, 8, in the receding floodwater in front of their home, after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through, in Slidell, La., Il sabato, 19 giugno 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storm's center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans. Credit:AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Jessie Kingsmill points out crickets to her daughter Marina, 8, in the receding floodwater in front of their home, after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through, in Slidell, La., Il sabato, 19 giugno 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storm's center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans. Credit:AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
A car stops in front of neighborhood flooding after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through, in Slidell, La., Il sabato, 19 giugno 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storm's center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans. Credit:AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Jessie Kingsmill stands in her driveway with her children Marina, 8, Giusto, and Raylan, 8, as water recedes after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through, in Slidell, La., Il sabato, 19 giugno 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storm's center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans. Credit:AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Marina Kingsmill and her brother Raylan play in the flooded street in front of their home after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through in Slidell, La., Il sabato, 19 giugno 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storm's center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans.Credit:AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Danny Gonzales, walks in his flooded house as water recedes, after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through, in Slidell, La., Il sabato, 19 giugno 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storm's center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans.Credit:AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Separatamente, Tropical Storm Dolores made landfall on Mexico's west coast with near-hurricane force. As of Saturday night, it was a depression located about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north-northwest of Guadalajara, Messico. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 30 mph (45 kph), and it was moving north at 21 mph (33 kph).
Heavy rainfall of 6 to 10 inches (about 15 to 25 centimeters) was expected across the southwest and western coastal areas of Mexico throughout the weekend. Forecasters were warning of the potential for flash flooding and mudslides.
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