(The Center Square) – Mississippi emergency officials are urging residents to prepare for heavy rain and possible flash flooding as Tropical Depression Two is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Bertha while tracking westward along the northern Gulf Coast.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said Monday it is closely monitoring the system, which forecasters expect to become a tropical storm later in the day.
“We encourage citizens to monitor the progress of this storm system as it is expected to impact Mississippi in the coming days,” MEMA said in a social media post. “Areas of flash flooding are possible through Friday along the Gulf Coast and in southern Mississippi.”
As of the National Hurricane Center’s 10 a.m. CDT advisory Monday, the depression was centered about 215 miles southeast of Mobile, Ala., with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. The system was moving northwest at 3 mph and is forecast to gradually strengthen before turning westward and tracking near or along the northern Gulf Coast during the middle of the week.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, from the Mississippi-Alabama state line west to the Jefferson-Plaquemines parish line in Louisiana. A Storm Surge Watch extends from the Alabama-Florida border west to the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The National Hurricane Center said tropical storm conditions are possible along the Mississippi coast beginning late Monday night or Tuesday. Storm surge of 1 to 3 feet above normally dry ground is possible along portions of the Mississippi coastline if peak surge coincides with high tide.
Heavy rainfall is expected to be the storm’s greatest inland threat. The National Hurricane Center forecasts widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated amounts reaching 8 inches across portions of the northern Gulf Coast through Friday. The rainfall could produce areas of flash flooding, particularly in low-lying and poor-drainage locations.
Forecasters caution that the exact track remains uncertain. Even relatively small changes in the storm’s path could significantly alter where the heaviest rain, strongest winds and greatest flooding occur.
MEMA encouraged residents to continue monitoring forecasts from the National Hurricane Center and local National Weather Service offices, review emergency plans and prepare for possible flooding before weather conditions begin deteriorating.