Tropical Storm Cristobal Landfall: Louisiana, Neighboring Areas Warned Of Flooding, Storm Surge, Tornadoes

The third named storm of the hurricane season has officially made landfall in Louisiana. Residents of affected areas are being warned of potentially dangerous floods and storm surges as Cristobal continues to move northward.

Tropical storm Cristobal made landfall with sustained winds of almost 50 mph as it moves north at about 7 mph. Cristobal is expected to become a tropical depression in 24 hours, still bringing heavy rainfall that could lead to flash floods, particularly along the Mississippi River Valley in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi.

Further, parts of Louisiana and Mississipi could also experience storm surges as a result of rising water moving inland from the coast.

"A combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline," forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said, according to a NASA blog.

Parts of Jacksonville, Florida, have already experienced flash flooding after heavy rainfall on Sunday morning, while the storm surge in New Orleans surpassed 3.5 feet on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain by Sunday afternoon, according to The Weather Channel. A storm surge in Mississippi also caused water levels to be several feet above normal Sunday afternoon, although the water levels in these areas are reportedly receding already.

In a tweet, the National Weather Service advised residents in eastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and across Florida to stay home due to the threat of floods and falling tree limbs.

Apart from the threat of flooding, heavy rain and storm surges, there are also threats of tornadoes forming across eastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and northern Florida. According to CNN, there have already been reports of tornadoes and water spouts in the southeast.

In Florida, on Saturday, there were already seven tornadoes reported, one of which hit downtown Orlando and impacted several homes.

In this hurricane season and people, especially those in hurricane-prone areas, are adviced to be prepared. For instance, it is important to make a list of the items that need to be replenished in their hurricane kit, organize important documents and confirm insurance coverage and, make multiple plans of action for when hurricanes hit.

Cristobal is only the third named storm in the 2020 hurricane season, which has been predicted to have above-normal activity.