Hurricane (Typhoon) — Covington, Alabama

1998-09-25 to 1998-09-29 · Covington, Alabama

Wider weather episode

For the second time in less than a month, the area was again threatened by a hurricane. Hurricane Georges affected the region September 25 through the 29. The coastal areas from Dauphin Island to east of Destin were put under a hurricane watch at 900 AM CST, September 25. A hurricane warning was issued for the area at 900 AM CST, September 26. The hurricane warning was changed to a tropical storm warning for the area at 300 PM CST, September 28. All tropical storm warnings for the area were dropped at 900 AM CST, September 29.Georges made landfall along the Mississippi coast near Biloxi between 300 and 500 AM CST, September 28.Some of the winds recorded across Southwest Alabama and Northwest Florida were as follows: Mobile Regional Airport, sustained winds of 44 knots, gusts to 55 knots. Pensacola Regional Airport, sustained winds of 44 knots, gusts to 58 knots. Pensacola Naval Air Station, sustained winds of 40 knots, gusts 61 knots. Hurlburt Air Force Base in Mary Esther, sustained winds of 44 knots, gusts to 69 knots. Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, sustained winds of 42 knots, gusts to 79 knots. Dauphin Island C-Man Buoy, gusts to 71 knots.Lowest sea level pressure was 989.9 millibars at Mobile Regional Airport.Four day rainfall totals ending around midnight on September 29: Mobile Regional Airport 15.02 inches, Pensacola Regional Airport 15.78 inches, Crestview 19.98 inches, Valparaiso 24.24 inches, Pensacola Naval Air Station 12.84 inches, Milton (Whiting Field) 18.41 inches, Bay Minette 29.66 inches, Andalusia (TV Station) 26.90 inches, Pensacola (TV Station) 26.83 inches, Gulf Breeze 26.87 inches and Spanish Fort 19.86 inches.Most of the destruction along the coastal areas was caused by a very high storm surge. Surges along the coast were estimated at 7 to 12 feet in Mobile and Baldwin counties and 5 to 10 feet in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties in Northwest Florida. Downtown Mobile had a surge of around 8.5 feet, with high "water" covering Water street. Bayou La Batre had a surge of 8.8 feet and many businesses and homes had water in them. The western part of Mobile Bay had a surge of 8.3 feet and the road parallel to the bay near Nan Seas was completely washed out. Along the Mobile Bay Causeway the surge was 8.0 feet. A male clung to a tree along the Causeway for almost twenty-four hours to escape the high water. He was staying in a building that the high surge destroyed and took refuge in a tree. He was able to tread to another building after the water retreated and was found the next day, exhausted. Many businesses along the Causeway were damaged by the surge. Fort Morgan had a surge of 8.5 feet with Gulf Shores having 9.0 feet. The surge on the west end of Dauphin Island caused the most damage where eighty homes were damaged with around forty completely destroyed. Many gulf front homes on the west end of the island were pushed across the island and ended up either against other homes or scattered across the sand. Pensacola Beach had a surge of 7.7 feet with Destin Harbour reaching a surge of 5.2 feet.Major beach erosion occurred along the coast from Dauphin Island to Destin. High water breached Dauphin Island, Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach in several locations. Several motels from Gulf Shores to Destin suffered major damage. Two condominiums were heavily damaged in Orange Beach, one by fire and the other by high waves. Some of the motels that suffered damage were still closed two months after the storm. Sand pushed in by the high water caused several coastal roads to be closed from Dauphin Island to Destin. Some of the roads were completely washed away with the roads having to be rebuilt on Dauphin Island, Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach. Some of the roads were still closed two months after the storm.Major damage occurred from river flooding in several of the inland counties after Georges dissipated. The Styx, Perdido, Shoal, Yellow, Big Escambia Creek, Bayou Sara and Blackwater rivers either were near or above record flood levels. Other rivers from Southeast Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle came out of their banks.It was estimated that nine tornadoes occurred across the area. The tornadoes occurred in Baldwin, Covington and Crenshaw counties in Southwest Alabama and in Okaloosa county in Northwest Florida. One death was directly related to the hurricane. In Mobile county a 43 year old female was returning home on the evening of September 27, after checking on her parents who lived just inside the Mississippi line. She hit a flooded spot in the road and slid off into Franklin Creek and drowned. She was not found for several days. In Escambia county Florida, three deaths were indirectly related to Georges. A female, using a candle for light on September 27, died in a fire caused by the candle. An elderly couple were both killed in a car accident on September 29. They were hit at an intersection where the storm had knocked the power off and the stop lights were not working.Most of the inland counties in Southeast Mississippi and Southwest Alabama had damage from heavy rains and from trees and power lines being blown down by the persistent winds. One of the hardest hit areas by the high winds was in Stone county Mississippi near where the center of the hurricane moved. Eighty five homes were damaged in Stone county by the wind. Fifty four homes had minor damage, twenty six had major damage and five were destroyed. Most of the damage was along and east of U. S. Highway 49.Throughout the area, agriculture took a beating with the cotton, soybean and pecan crop almost totally destroyed.Preliminary damage estimates in Southwest Alabama were 174.2 million dollars, in Northwest Florida 135 million dollars and in Southeast Mississippi 72 million dollars.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5673200. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.