Invest 93L increases Gulf Coast flood threat as it moves through the Florida penisula
MOBILE, Ala. – The Gulf Coast is facing a surge of tropical moisture as Invest 93L moved through the Florida Peninsula on Tuesday and threatens to produce heavy rainfall along the Interstate 10 corridor into the weekend.
An invest is a designation used by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to indicate an area that is under increased scrutiny for the possibility of tropical development.
Earlier this week, Florida was the recipient of the heavy rainfall, but the chances of precipitation have now shifted westward and will continue to impact communities in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana through at least Saturday.
Because waters in the Gulf are warm and there is enough spin in the atmosphere, the NHC has highlighted an area of the northeastern and north-central Gulf for a low chance of development into a tropical depression or tropical storm, but as long as the center is near or over land, chances will remain minimal.
Due to the system’s limited time over the warm waters of the Gulf, not much tropical development is expected over the next couple of days.
Potential impacts from Invest 93L
The greatest impacts from Invest 93L are heavy rainfall, flooding, occasional waterspouts and rough seas.
The FOX Forecast Center expects squally conditions to last through the weekend, with Friday into Saturday being the time period with the heaviest rainfall.
Flood Watches are in effect for parishes along the Gulf Coast to north of Interstate 10, and NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center even expects a likelihood of flash flooding between New Orleans and the Texas-Louisiana border.
Computer forecast models show a widespread swath of 1-3 inches of rainfall from east of Houston to Panama City, Florida, with amounts of 5-8 inches and even greater around Lafayette, Louisiana.
Just 6 inches of moving water can knock an adult off their feet, while a foot of floodwater can cause a vehicle to stall and float away.
Severe weather such as waterspouts and tornadoes could also be possible in the stronger cells.
Tropical moisture causes problems in Florida and along Gulf Coast
The combination of Florida’s daily afternoon thunderstorms and tropical moisture associated with Invest 93L caused problems throughout the Sunshine State during its brief interaction with the system.
On Saturday, St. Johns County Fire Rescue reported three people were injured Saturday afternoon when lightning struck the St. Augustine Beach Pier.
The agency said one person suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to a trauma center, while another person was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A third person was also reported to have been evaluated but refused medical transport.
And farther south, east of Tampa, nearly a foot of rain fell within a few hours in Plant City on Monday, causing streets and homes to be flooded.
Local officials did not report any injuries associated with the flash flooding but did characterize the flooding as a 1-out-of-1,000-year event.
Most other communities reported seeing rainfall totals in the 1- to 4-inch range, with locally higher amounts.
Minor street flooding was also reported in southern Mississippi on Wednesday evening.
Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, saw more than an inch of rainfall in just under an hour, causing some ponding on roadways.