Dauphin Island officials shut down the west end of the barrier island Friday as water pushed ahead of Tropical Storm Barry began spilling onto the roadway.
Flooding was already visible along the road serving the island’s west end on July 12, well before the storm’s arrival, as southerly winds off the Gulf piled water into low-lying stretches of the coast. Town leaders closed the area for safety reasons, cutting off access until conditions improve.
Tropical Storm Barry was churning in the Gulf of Mexico at the time and drawing attention across coastal Alabama, where communities from Dauphin Island to Bayou La Batre kept a close watch on tides and rising water. West-end flooding is a familiar pattern on the narrow barrier island whenever sustained onshore winds accompany a Gulf storm system.
Residents and visitors were urged to stay out of the closed area and avoid driving through standing water while the storm passes.