Alberto Threatens Gulf Coast Holiday Vacationers

Hundreds of thousands of vacationers to Alabama and Florida's Gulf Coast this holiday weekend will have to share the beach with an unwelcome visitor -- Subtropical Storm Alberto.

The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center shows the storm with a potential landfall near the Alabama-Florida state line on Memorial Day Monday.

The first named storm of the 2018 hurricane season roiled parts of coastal Mexico and Cuba with rip currents and dangerous surf before plodding northward Saturday.

In the U.S., a storm surge watch - meaning the possibility of life-threatening inundations from rising coastal waters moving inland - was issued for a stretch of coastline between Horseshoe Beach, Florida, and the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service warned residents along coastal Alabama and Mississippi as well as the Florida Panhandle to brace for heavy rain and high winds. Isolated tornadoes were also possible.

The NWS said a flash flood watch would be in effect from Saturday evening through Tuesday evening for southeastern Mississippi, much of southern Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle.

“This system will bring excessive rainfall to the watch area beginning Saturday evening and continuing through Tuesday evening. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches, and possibly locally up to double these amounts are possible in this area with this event,” the NWS said.

A subtropical storm has a less defined and cooler center than a tropical storm, and its strongest winds are found farther from its center. Subtropical storms can develop into tropical storms, which in turn can strengthen into hurricanes.

Alberto comes ahead of schedule: the six-month hurricane season doesn’t begin until June 1.