Severe Weather Threat Has Ended As Nate Moves Out Of Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Tropical Depression Nate has moved through Alabama, and with its departure, the winds and heavy rain will start to diminish. As of 3 p.m., the threat of severe weather in Alabama had ended. Nate carried with it dangerous winds and several inches of rainfall, but there were no reported serious injuries and no deaths in Alabama due to Nate. The storm did cause mass power outages. Alabama Power reported that more than 87,000 people were without power Sunday, with 31,300 of those customers in the Mobile area. In Birmingham, 26,100 lost power and another 15,300 across the rest of Central Alabama. As of 7 p.m., there were still roughly 35,000 customers without power.

Winds averaging 12 mph came across Birmingham with gusts at 20-30 mph in some places. Peak gusts reached 35 mph at the Birmingham Airport, 40 mph at the Shelby County Airport in Calera, 25 mph at Tuscaloosa, 43 mph at Anniston and 29 mph at Gadsden.

According to the National Weather Service, most of the area picked up 1.5 to 3 inches of rain with some areas of 4 or more inches from northwestern Autauga County across western Chilton and eastern Bibb counties. Because of the recent dry weather, flash flooding has not been a problem across North Central Alabama. Flood advisories were issued for parts of South Central Alabama, though, and some homes were threatened in Elba. Dauphin Island experienced major flooding, and the Dauphin Island Causeway was closed for the day Saturday and most of the morning Sunday, according to reports from the city's mayor, Jeff Collier.

Collier said water entered several homes on the barrier island, but as of Sunday afternoon he said water levels had dropped significantly. Power was being restored to the island quickly. The causeway opened Sunday afternoon around 2 p.m. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for real-time news alerts and the free morning news letter from your local Birmingham Patch.)

James Spann tweeted this picture of damage in Fairhope:

Transportation

According to the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Bankhead tunnel closed around 7:00 a.m. Saturday. The Bayou L Batre Bridge is closed until further notice. All bus service in Mobile, including Fixed Route and MAP services, were suspended starting at 3 p.m. Saturday. The last inbound and outbound buses departing the GM&O Building, the Shoppes at Bel Air and Prichard Hub was at 2 p.m. Depending on weather and street conditions, regular bus service will resume Monday, Oct. 9.

Roads in Mobile County impassable due to flooding:

Coden Belt Road
Shell Belt Road
Water Street in Downtown Mobile

Roads impassable due to trees in the roadways:

McGregor near Airport
Snow Road and Autumn Leaf Drive
State Road and 188/Henderson Camp Road in the Grand Bay area
Natchez and Bayou Creek
County Road 19 in Irvington

Schools

Baldwin County Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler said currently he does not see a need to close school Monday, but said the decision to close depends mainly on the conditions of roads and he will not know that until Sunday afternoon.

The University of South Alabama is canceling all classes Sunday and Monday. The Marx Library, Student Center and Student Recreation Center also will be closed. All non-essential university offices also will be closed on Monday. Employees with questions should check with their supervisors to determine if they will need to report to work. USA Health’s hospitals and clinics will operate on normal schedules. The university anticipates resuming a normal schedule on Tuesday.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the state's price gouging laws are in effect.

"Although what constitutes an unconscionable price is not specifically set forth in state law, a price that is 25 percent or more above the average price charged in the same area within the last 30 days--unless the increase can be attributed to a reasonable cost-- is a prima facie case of unconscionable pricing," Marshall said. "Those who violate the law will face a $1,000 fine per violation. As well, those determined to have willfully and continuously violate this law may be prohibited from doing business in Alabama."

Photo: A large truck drives through a flooded Water St. in downtown Mobile, Ala., during Hurricane Nate, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Mobile, Ala. Hurricane Nate came ashore along Mississippi's coast outside Biloxi early Sunday, the first hurricane to make landfall in the state since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)