U.S. experts believe Tropical Storm Gordon will become a category one hurricane Tuesday before landing somewhere along the Gulf Coast after dark.
The National Hurricane Center said by the time the storm reaches land it should achieve hurricane status, which would require continuous winds of at least 119 kilometers per hour (74 mph).
Hurricane warnings are in effect for coastal areas in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. All three are directly in the storm’s projected path.
The storm could drop as much as 30 centimeters (12 inches ) of rain on those states, as well as southern Arkansas.
Flash flooding is expected to affect much of the region.
Meteorologists expect it to quickly lose strength during the day Wednesday as it moves further inland.
President Donald Trump took to Twitter Tuesday afternoon to urge residents to stay safe.
“The Federal Government stands ready to assist,” Trump tweeted.
