Hurricane Dennis, packing maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (Category 4), heads for landfall on the northern Gulf Coast
Weather.com reports that Dennis continues north-northwest at 15 mph and seems destined to make landfall somewhere between Mobile, Ala. and Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., this afternoon:
A jog in Dennis' course over the past few hours suggests a growing likelihood of a strike on the western portion of the Florida Panhandle. Destruction of coastal property in this region will be extensive. Water rise is expected to be in the 12- to 18-foot range; thus, all people should be far away from low-lying areas.
The Associated Press quotes Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami:
Category 4 is not just a little bit worse — it's much worse. Damage increases exponentially as the wind speed increases. And no matter where it makes actual landfall, it's going to have a tremendous impact well away from the center.
Dennis' expected landfall would be the earliest a Category 4 hurricane has hit the United States since Hurricane Audrey struck the Louisiana and Texas coasts in June 1957, according to the hurricane center.
This hurricane season's storms portend a record. There have already been four Atlantic tropical storms - Arlene, Bret, Cindy and Dennis - by July 5 this year, another record.
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