Tropical Storm Gordon makes landfall, to weaken rapidly

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall just west of the Alabama-Mississipi border late on Tuesday, according to the latest update from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Gordon strengthened as it was approaching the Gulf Coast but did not reach hurricane status.

At 03:00 GMT, the center of Gordon was moving northwest at around 14 miles/hour (22 km/hour), with maximum sustained winds near 70 miles/hour, the NHC said.

“A northwestward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next couple of days,” it said.

“Rapid weakening is forecast after Gordon moves inland, and Gordon is forecast to become a tropical depression on Wednesday,” the NHC added.

The governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were forced to declare states of emergency in preparation for Gordon’s impact.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said 54 platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated on Tuesday, making up 7.86% of the 687 manned platforms in the area.

Approximately 9.23% of the current oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has also been shut-in, as well as 9.06% of natural gas production.