Gulf Coast braces for Gordon

The National Hurricane Center predicted a life-threatening storm surge along parts of the central Gulf Coast on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Gordon approached. The storm is expected to reach hurricane strength and make landfall Tuesday night, dropping as much as 8 inches of rain in some places by late Thursday.

“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves,” the center said in a statement. Hurricane warnings, storm surge warnings, and states of emergency have been issued throughout Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. Voluntary evacuations are in place for parts of coastal Louisiana, where Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the National Guard would deploy, as well. As of early Tuesday morning, the storm was centered 230 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and was moving at 17 mph, with top sustained winds reaching 65 mph.