Hopefully this will answer some of your questions involving Tropical Storm Claudette and the impact on Alabama….
*What part of the Gulf Coast will feel the biggest impact?
Areas near and east of the center of circulation. This would be roughly from Fort Walton Beach east to Apalachicola and Cedar Key. For the Alabama Gulf Coast, there will be a few periods of rain, occasional gusty winds, and some rough surf. Remember, however, this is a relatively small tropical storm. In fact, the sky was mostly sunny at Destin at 11:00 a.m. The Alabama Gulf Coast is also partly to mostly sunny right now. Evacuations are not expected except for especially flood prone areas.
*What is the biggest threat?
Heavy rain initially will be the biggest issue, again mainly for the eastern part of the Florida panhandle. The size of the storm and the forward motion suggests that the flooding threat is not especially high at this time. The heaviest rain on the coast will come from around 3:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight.
*How much rain will fall over this part of Alabama?
Most of the dynamic models suggest North and Central Alabama can expect one-half to one inch of rain tomorrow and tomorrow night, but they are not the best at handling QPF from a tropical system. We figure amounts from one to two inches are likely, with isolated heavier amounts. We should note it won’t rain all day tomorrow, and the sun will probably peek out at times.
*What about wind?
Assuming Claudette will be a moderate tropical storm at the time of landfall this evening, sustained winds in this part of Alabama will be in the 10 to 20 mph range tomorrow, not enough to produce any really significant or widespread damage.
*Is there a tornado threat?
A system like this can produce a small tornadoes in spiral bands, and we will have to watch for those tomorrow. Remember, these small tornadoes with tropical systems don’t last very long, and are hard to to warn for. The threat of small tornadoes will be greatest tomorrow along and east of a line from Tuscaloosa to Camden to Florala.
