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Cristobal may have weakened from a tropical storm to a depression but it is still packing a punch with fierce winds, flooding rain, and could spin up tornadoes. Cristobal is to strengthen into an extratropical low on Tuesday.
On Monday, Cristobal was positioned over portions of southern Louisiana and Mississippi, twisting through eastern Alabama, and spinning across northern Mississippi and into Eastern, Central, and Southeastern Arkansas, back toward the border area between northern Louisiana and southeastern Mississippi.
Cristobal is expected to deliver strong winds between 35-40 miles per hour but gusts are expected to increase to as high as 50 mph in the afternoon and evening hours as the tropical depression continues to move inland on Monday. Rain is also expected to increase into the afternoon hours. By the evening and overnight hours, hail and tornadoes cannot be ruled out
On Tuesday, forecasters from the National Weather Service are predicting that Cristobal will increase in strength, elevating from a depression into an extratropical low.
President Donald Trump issued a federal state of emergency for Louisiana on Sunday.
Trump tweeted: “At the request of @SenJohnKennedy & @SenBillCassidy of the Great State of Louisiana, I will be approving & signing today an EMERGENCY DECLARATION which will help with all aspects of the big storm that is currently hitting your shores. FEMA is already there. God Bless You!”
Cristobal has already caused significant damage as heavy rain brought flooding to portions of Mississippi and Louisiana, leading to power outages. As of 10 AM Eastern time, 20,000 customers remained without power in Mississippi.
Heavy rain caused extensive flooding in Grand Isle, Louisiana. Streets in Old Mandeville were flooded along Lake Pontchartrain. In Mississippi, the heavy rains flooded some homes not on stilts or pilings. People were grateful to have their Apple I Phone X to call for assistance.
In addition, forecasters are predicting what they are labeling a “bonus disturbance” that will move in behind Cristobal that could bring severe weather to parts of the southern Plains on Tuesday into Wednesday.
This additional area of disturbed weather will affect portions of northern Texas, the Oklahoma Panhandle, and especially Western Kansas and eastern Colorado, and to a lesser degree, Southwestern Nebraska.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), as of 7 AM on Monday, June 8, the center of tropical depression Cristobal was directly over the Northeast portion of Louisiana and the southwest corner of Mississippi.
The NWS is predicting that Cristobal will strengthen into an extratropical low overnight, gaining speed and by 1 AM on Tuesday, Cristobal is expected to be over northern Arkansas, moving to somewhere along the northern Missouri border with central Illinois by 1 PM on Tuesday.
By Wednesday at 1 AM, Cristobal is expected to be over the East Central edge of Wisconsin near Lake Michigan, and by 1 PM on Wednesday, just north of Lake Superior into Canada.
