Hurricane Sally made landfall in Alabama as a Category 2 storm with sustained winds of 105 mph early Wednesday (September 16) morning. By 8 a.m. ET, Sally had been downgraded to a Category 1 storm with winds of 90 mph. While Sally has weakened since making landfall, the storm could cause historic flooding as it slowly moves inland.
Forecasters said that Sally, which is inching along at just 2 mph, could dump up to 35 inches of rain in some areas.
"Nothing is going to go away anytime soon," National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham told CNN. "The winds, the torrential rainfall, the slow movement, and the storm surge -- this is a dangerous situation all around."
Pensacola, Florida, has received at least three feet of rain and is dealing with storm surges of three to four feet. Officials said that the storm surge is expected to increase throughout the day.
In Orange Beach, Alabama, at least 60 people had to be rescued after they got trapped by the rising floodwaters. Authorities said more people remained stranded, but they have to wait until the water recedes to save them.
"We got a few people that we just haven't been able to get to because the water is so high," Kennon told the AP. "But they are safe in their home, as soon as the water recedes, we will rescue them."
Sally is slowly moving Northeast towards the Carolinas and poses a moderate flash-flood risk as far north as Charlotte.
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