(Bloomberg) — Hurricane Sally made landfall in U.S. Gulf Coast, where it could inflict as much as $5 billion in damage and losses across Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle from "catastrophic" flooding in the region.

Sally came on land near Gulf Shores, Alabama, at 5:45 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Sept. 16, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm had wind speeds of 105 miles (169 kilometers) per hour, making it a Category 2 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, as it moves toward the coast at 3 mph.

"Historic, life-threatening flash flooding is likely," Dan Brown, a hurricane center forecaster, wrote in his outlook. "In addition, this rainfall will lead to widespread moderate to major flooding on area rivers."

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

  • All PropertyCasualty360.com news coverage, best practices, and in-depth analysis.
  • Educational webcasts, resources from industry leaders, and informative newsletters.
  • Other award-winning websites including BenefitsPRO.com and ThinkAdvisor.com.
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Catastrophe & Restoration
Commercial Lines
Personal Lines
Weather Risk