Hurricane Sally weakened to a Category 1 storm Tuesday but continued its unusually slow approach toward Mobile Bay, prompting local and state officials to urge residents in low-lying areas and mobile homes to evacuate before the worst conditions arrive. The storm was expected to make landfall along the Alabama coast Wednesday morning, a day later than earlier forecasts had suggested.
At a Tuesday morning press conference alongside Gov. Kay Ivey, John De Block of the National Weather Service said Sally’s forward track had shifted slightly east since Monday’s briefing, but that rain, wind and storm surge remained serious concerns even with the storm’s weakened wind speeds.
“As of 10 o’clock, Sally was about 110 miles south of Mobile drifting to the north at the speed of a child in a candy shop — about two to three miles per hour,” De Block said. “We’re looking at it making landfall tomorrow morning now, a little later than we had been talking about earlier. We’re expecting winds about 70 knots or 80 miles per hour when Sally makes landfall tomorrow, and right now the projected path is right up Mobile Bay. If this forecast continues to shift to the east — as it very well may — that will decrease the amount of storm surge that is encountered in Mobile Bay, which will be good news.”
Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran urged residents who did not feel safe to leave rather than wait out the storm, noting that evacuating ahead of time also protects law enforcement and first responders who would otherwise have to conduct rescues once conditions worsen.
“We’re urging you to evacuate, especially those in south Mobile County, or those close to a river, stream or creek,” Cochran said. “We don’t want to put people at risk. You have an extra 24 hours to get out.”
Mobile County Emergency Management Deputy Director Mike Evans echoed warnings he issued Monday about the uncertainty still surrounding Sally’s track and intensity, saying that unpredictability itself poses a danger for residents trying to plan ahead.
“Is there uncertainty? Absolutely,” Evans said. “Is the storm changing? It seems to be changing by the hour. Each change could mean harsher conditions for us, or they could go the other way, but we’re not going to talk about that right now.”
Both Mobile and Baldwin counties remained under a hurricane warning, a storm surge warning and a flash flood watch as of Tuesday. Evans said forecasters do not expect conditions to improve before the storm’s core arrives.
“Our colleagues at the National Weather Service believe severe weather is on the cusp of getting here,” he said.
Mobile County’s two public shelters remained open Tuesday. The general shelter is located at Theodore High School, while a special needs shelter is operating at Burns Middle School. Because of COVID-19 protocols, the Theodore High School shelter is limited to a capacity of about 250 people, Evans said. The shelter was not close to that limit as of Tuesday, but the county has an additional shelter on standby if space runs short.
For residents planning to ride out the storm rather than evacuate, Evans recommended stocking enough food, water and battery-powered electronics to last up to 72 hours without power. He also cautioned residents to follow safety guidelines when running generators, including keeping them outdoors and away from windows to avoid carbon monoxide buildup.
“There’s time to get ready, and there’s no time like right now,” Evans said. “If you feel unsafe, get to somewhere safe.”
Officials said they would continue to monitor Sally’s track through the day Tuesday and provide updates as the storm nears the coast.