15th tropical depression of season moves through open Atlantic
The Associated Press
The 15th tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season moved slowly through the open ocean early Friday, forecasters said.
The 15th tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season moved slowly through the open ocean early Friday, forecasters said.
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Tropical Storm Melissa weakened into a depression Sunday far out in the open Atlantic while the remnants of Tropical Storm Karen dwindled away in the central Atlantic, forecasters said.
The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast announced today that it will close classes and library services on Saturday in expectation of severe weather.
The city is opening an emergency storm shelter at North Bay Elementary School on Popps Ferry Road at 5 p.m. today and residents living in FEMA trailers are encouraged to evacuate. Additional shelters are opening throughout Harrison County.
At 2: 30 p.m., Jackson County issued a mandatory evacuation for people living in mobile homes, campers and RVs or along low-lying areas of the beachfront. This includes FEMA trailers and Mississippi Cottages. They are advised to seek higher ground and safer dwellings.
The Mississippi Gaming Commission has directed the Coast casinos to "tie down for safety purposes anything on their property," and notify their employees who live in low-lying areas to be alert to weather conditions as the storm approaches.
Impending bad weather along the Mississippi, Florida and Alabama coast has forced the cancellation or postponement of several South Mississippi high school football games on Friday night.
The Harrison County Emergency Management Agency is gearing up after this morning's issuance of a tropical storm warning, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected to impact the area within 24 hours. It plans to open shelters at 5 p.m. today.
Officials with the Harrison County Emergency Management Agency are recommending that people who live in FEMA trailers and in low-lying areas find another place to ride out this weekend's storm.
Tropical storm warnings were posted this morning for parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast as a subtropical depression formed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service in New Orleans has issued a coastal flood watch for today and tonight in South Mississippi due to an approaching low pressure system that could bring heavy rain to this area.
Officials with the Gulf Islands National Seashore have closed the five barrier islands in anticipation of tropical weather in South Mississippi by the weekend.
Emergency officials in Hancock County will begin handing out sandbags at 3 p.m. today, said Brian Adam, director of the emergency management agency.
State and local emergency managers are encouraging South Mississippi residents to monitor closely the weather system in Florida to see where it goes and how strong it gets.
Hurricane Felix gathered strength Saturday and pounded Grenada with heavy rains and winds, snapping small boats loose from their moorings and toppling utility poles on its route toward the Caribbean island of Aruba.
Tropical Storm Felix approached hurricane strength today as it moved through the eastern Caribbean Sea, forecasters said.
Emergency managers throughout South Mississippi are urging residents to begin preparing now for hurricane season, which begins June 1.