WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Hurricane Sally has weakened into a Category 1 storm Wednesday morning after making slow landfall in the southern U.S. state of Alabama earlier in the day, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, stressing that it was still life-threatening.
The NHC said in an update issued at 9:00 a.m. CT (1400 GMT) that Hurricane Sally carried maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h), located some 20 miles (30 km) west of Pensacola, Florida.
Hurricanes with sustained winds of 74 to 95 mph are Category 1 hurricanes, according to the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.
"Center of Sally moving slowly near the Alabama/Florida border ... Catastrophic and life-threatening flooding ongoing along portions of the north-central Gulf coast," the NHC said.
On-site photos posted online showed that buildings were damaged in Mobile, Alabama, while streets were flooded in Pensacola, Florida.
Hurricane Sally made a landfall around 4:45 a.m. CT (0945 GMT) in Alabama, with winds of 105 mph, making it a strong Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It has been exactly 16 years since the last hurricane, Hurricane Ivan, made a landfall in Alabama on Sept. 16, 2004.
President Donald Trump tweeted Monday that he was "closely monitoring extremely dangerous Hurricane Sally," and that the federal government is coordinating with state and local officials to assist residents in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. The president also issued emergency declarations for parts of three states. Enditem
