Washington, Sep 17 Hurricane Sally has weakened into a Category 1 storm after making landfall in the US state of Alabama, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, adding that it was still life-threatening.
In an update on Wednesday, the NHC said that Sally carried maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h, located some 30 km west of Pensacola, Florida, reports Xinhua news agency.
"the centre 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 the landfall at around 4.45 a.m. on Wednesday in Alabama, with winds of 105 mph, making it a strong Category 2 hurricane.
It has been exactly 16 years since hurricane Ivan made landfall in Alabama on September 16, 2004.
President Donald Trump tweeted on 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.
He also issued emergency declarations for parts of three states.
( With inputs from IANS )
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