GULF SHORES, AL – City EMA official Brandan Franklin told the Gulf Shores City Council on Feb. 22 he and other officials in Baldwin County are closely watching a storm expected in the area on Feb. 23.

“They give these alerts and sometimes we’re in the orange, sometimes we’re in the yellow and sometimes we’re in an elevated risk,” Franklin said. “(They) are putting the entire coastal area tomorrow night into a significant risk so we’re painted red all afternoon tomorrow. They’re expecting this to come in around 8 p.m. tomorrow night.”

The storm will blow through quickly, Franklin said, and is likely to pack a punch.

“They expect it to be moving through about 50 or 60 mph,” he said. “They have a high level of confidence in what they are predicting tomorrow. This storm is going to be moving so fast with higher wind speeds that it could cause bigger tornadoes and longer tracking tornadoes.”

Baldwin County Superintendent Eddie Tyler said all afterschool activities like after care and athletic will be canceled on Feb. 23 because of the weather threat.

“If you’ve got any loose items laying around the house I suggest you get them tied up,” Franklin said. “It’s something we should be getting prepared for.”

Franklin said the city received several calls from people staying in RV campgrounds in the area, but said as of Feb. 22 Baldwin County had no plans to open shelters. The city is looking at the possibility of having to open shelters tomorrow.

“I was hoping to have the coliseum in Robertsdale opened up so people would have a place to go,” he said. “We’re going to have another webinar again in the morning at 10:30 to see what kind of risk we have then. The city is making some preparation for some in-house things.

“I’ve gotten with the Rec Department and the procurement agency and see what all we have available. We’re making plans, if you will, if we do have to act to help the RV park campers and things of that nature.”

From the wunderground.com website forecast:

A tornado outbreak is possible Tuesday into Wednesday as severe thunderstorms track across the South. The instigator for this potential outbreak is an area of low pressure that will move from the southern Plains to the Great Lakes while intensifying significantly. 

A significant outbreak is possible Tuesday for parts of southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the western Florida panhandle. There is a 60 percent chance of a tornado within 50 miles of any location in the specified areas. In addition, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a moderate risk for parts of the Gulf Coast Tuesday and says that a couple of strong tornadoes (EF2 or higher rating) are possible. A moderate risk is the second highest of five categories on SPC's severe thunderstorm forecasts.