Jackson County could see up to 15 inches of rain, 30-50 mph winds from Tropical Storm Cristobal

JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi -- “I think it’s going to rain.”

That was the typically understated assessment of Earl Etheridge, Jackson County’s Emergency Services Director, when asked Saturday what he expected the impact from Tropical Storm Cristobal, expected to make landfall near Houma, La., Sunday.

After his simple initial response, Etheridge turned more serious.

“You’re looking at rain totals of 6-10 inches, maybe 10-15 if you get banding, where the storm comes in over itself,” Etheridge said. "I think what we’re looking at in Jackson County is a lot of rain.

“We’ll also have some wind, because this tropical system is very broad. It goes out 200 miles from the center. That’s a pretty decent wind field.”

Cristobal weakened to a tropical depression Thursday with sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) after it moved inland, but regained tropical storm strength after re-entering the Gulf of Mexico. The storm emerged this week in the Bay of Campeche from the remnants of Tropical Storm Amanda, which had formed in the Pacific and pounded El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

The National Weather Service, in its midday Saturday update, was projecting winds for southeastern Mississippi anywhere from 30-50 mph. By early Saturday afternoon, Cristobal’s maximum sustained winds were about 50 mph.

“I think the wind will start tomorrow morning,” Etheridge said. “The rain has already started, on and off. I think we’ll start to see the wind effect (Sunday) morning, with the rain picking up during the day and then taper off starting Monday morning.”

Etheridge noted Cristobal was moving north at 14 mph -- a fast-moving storm.

“Whatever it’s going to do, it’s going to happen pretty quickly and move on,” he said. “It won’t linger or drag out.”

The good news is the storm surge for Jackson County is only projected at 1-3, Etheridge said.

“That’s not too bad.”

The Mississippi coast remains under both a flood watch and coastal flood advisory until Tuesday morning. A tropical storm warning is also in effect until Tuesday.

The NWS was forecasting sustained tropical storm force winds across portions of southeastern Louisiana and the Mississippi coast. Winds greater than 58 mph are possible in some areas.

Forecasters noted the greatest impacts from Cristobal “could occur well away from the center of the storm depending on its structure as it approaches the coast.”

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors Thursday morning declared a state of local emergency in anticipation of Cristobal’s arrival. The county’s four municipalities soon followed suit with their own declarations, which allow for the sharing of resources between the various government agencies.

Self-serve sandbags are available for residents at the following locations (residents should bring their own shovels):

  • ST. MARTIN -- West Division Roads Department, 6900 N. Washington Ave.
  • VANCLEAVE -- Central Road Department, 8500 Jim Ramsay Rd.
  • MOSS POINT -- East Division Roads Department, 10825 Hwy. 63
  • MOSS POINT -- Forts Lake Fire Department, 10701 Forts Lake Rd.
  • MOSS POINT -- Escatawpa VFD, 3801 Sentinel Dr.
  • OCEAN SPRINGS -- Fontainebleau Fire Department, 3901 Hwy. 57 south
  • OCEAN SPRINGS -- St. Andrews Fire Department, 1401 Elm St.
  • GAUTIER -- Behind City Hall, U.S. 90 west
  • MOSS POINT -- New Central Fire Station, 4204 Bellview St.
  • OCEAN SPRINGS -- Public Works Department, 712 Pine Dr.
  • PASCAGOULA -- Jackson County Fairgrounds, 2902 Shortcut Rd.

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