Tropical Storm Christobal Forms in Gulf, Residents Should Plan Now

RALEIGH, MS - Tropical Storm Christobal has formed in the southern Gulf of Mexico, and will pose a threat to the Mississippi Gulf Coast this weekend into next week. As such, we will begin issuing daily alerts on this system as it moves closer to the Gulf Coast. 

At 10:00 AM CDT, the center of Cristobal was located near latitude 18.6N, longitude 92.0W. Cristobal is moving toward the SSE near 3 mph, and a turn toward the east is expected later today. A turn toward the NNE and north is expected on Thursday and Friday. On the forecast track, the center will move over the land mass of eastern Mexico through Thursday. The center is forecast to move back over the Gulf of Mexico by Friday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph with higher gusts. Slow weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Cristobal will likely become a tropical depression by Thursday evening. Some re-strengthening is expected to begin on Friday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 995 mb (29.39 inches).

It is imperative that you plan now for potential tropical storm conditions. You can find information on how to plan for a tropical system by downloading the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency's 2020 Hurricane Preparedness Guide at https://www.msema.org/…/39779_MEMA-Hurrican-Preparedness.pdf
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Should an evacuation be ordered for the Gulf Coast, please make yourself aware of the evacuation routes.

Evacuation routes in coastal Mississippi are:
- Interstate 10
- Interstate 110
- Interstate 59
- US Highway 90
- US Highway 49
- US Highway 98
- State Route 43
- State Route 603
- State Route 53
- State Route 605
- State Route 67
- State Route 15
- State Route 609
- State Route 57
- State Route 63

While an evacuation would not be expected for Smith County, evacuation routes in Smith County include:
- State Route 35
- State Route 28
- State Route 13
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The next update for Smith County will be at 8:00PM tomorrow.