Hurricane Dennis Update

It's dark at 4:30 am CDT Sunday and the wind has freshened considerably, with gusts estimated as high as 35 mph. As of half an hour ago, the NHC is predicting Hurricane Dennis will make landfall at Gulf Shores, Alabama – probably as a Category 4 storm.

According to the latest advisory:

“Maximum sustained winds are near 145 mph...with higher gusts. Dennis is a Category Four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 40 miles...from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 230 miles... .”

NHC expects a storm surge of 14 to 19 feet above normal tide levels, topped by “large and dangerous battering waves.”

Landfall likely will occur on Pensacola Beach near high tide, as well. In addition, 5 to 10 inches of rainfall is expected with as much as 15 inches possible near landfall and “isolated tornadoes will be possible today over the Florida Panhandle...Southwestern Georgia and Southern Alabama.”