On This Day in 2020: Sally Slams The Gulf Coast | WeatherBug
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On This Day in 2020: Sally Slams The Gulf Coast

September 13, 2021
By WeatherBug Sr. Meteorologist, Chad Merrill
The central and eastern Gulf Coast was no stranger to being hit by tropical storms and hurricanes just one year ago. Storms earlier in the season, including Tropical Storm Cristobal and Fay, Hurricane Laura and close approach from Hurricane Marco set the tone early. Then, to add torment to a developing record-breaking season, Hurricane Sally came along just as the climatological peak of the season arrived in mid-September.  

Sally’s formation history has a rather unique story. A weak upper-level disturbance that had shifted off the East Coast on September 10 left behind a cluster of thunderstorms on its southern flank in the Bahamas. Light winds aloft allowed these storms to spiral around a developing circulation center. Forecasters classified it as a depression the next day and the system continued to push west into southern Florida. Then, to much surprise, the depression strengthened over land and Tropical Storm Sally was born over the Florida Everglades. 

Sally continued to push west and entered the warm Gulf of Mexico. Needless to say, the warm waters allowed it to become a hurricane as it churned towards the eastern Gulf Coast. Sally made landfall in Gulf Shores, Ala., at Noon CDT on September 16 as a Category Two Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 109 mph. Like many eastern Gulf Coast hurricanes, it weakened to a depression as it pushed deep into the Southeast and Sally dissipated to a low pressure in South Carolina the next day as it got swept up by a cold front.

However, the damage had already been done. Its strongest wind occurred at Ingram Bayou, Ala., with a peak wind gust of 137 mph. East of Sally’s circulation center, Pensacola, Fla., was inundated with the greatest storm surge of 5.6 feet. As a matter of fact, besides the Florida Panhandle, much of the Alabama and Mississippi coast saw a 3-to-5-foot storm surge as Sally came onshore. 

The rainfall jackpot was Orange Beach, Ala., that accumulated 29.99 inches! That’s more than two feet of rain! Rainfall totals were a bit lower farther inland, but enough to generate flash flooding. Sterling, Ga., measured 10.81 inches, the Pearl River in Louisiana tallied 6.94 inches, and Moss Point, Miss., was drenched with 3.27 inches. Sixteen tornadoes were spawned in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina as a direct result of Sally. 

Sally was one of 22 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2020, raking in $7.3-billion in damages. Fortunately, only four deaths were attributed to Sally.

This year, Hurricane Ida was a friendly reminder that history can repeat itself. Why? There are a few striking similarities between 2020’s Hurricane Sally and 2021’s Hurricane Ida. Although landfall was separated by 18 days, with Sally on September 16 and Ida on August 29, both storms made landfall within 5 minutes of each other; Sally at Noon CDT and Ida at 11:55 a.m. CDT! Ida’s landfall was only 170 miles west of Sally, while Ida was a Category Four hurricane at landfall and Sally only a Category Two storm. While both storms pushed north after landfall, Sally headed into the Carolinas while Ida pushed west of the Appalachian spine and eventually dissipated to a low pressure that swept into eastern New England. 

Nonetheless, Sally and Ida are reminders that August and September can bring deadly and dangerous tropical weather to the Gulf Coast during two consecutive years. This serves as a good reminder to have an emergency survival kit readily available and always revisit your evacuation route ahead of each hurricane season. 
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Story Image: Hurricane Sally is seen just before landfall on the coast of Alabama on September 16, 2020. (Courtesy of NOAA/NESDIS/STAR)