Fair / 64° F
Ida won’t spare Lake Martin area
Published 12:00am Monday, November 9, 2009The Lake Martin area will not be spared as tropical storm Ida makes landfall along the Gulf Coast.
The latest estimates predict anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of rain during a 12-hour period from midnight to noon on Tuesday according to the National Weather Service office in Birmingham.
“Most of the rain will fall within that 12-hour period,” said meteorologist Mark Rose. “The primary effects for central Alabama will be heavy rain. That can happen when a storm slows down.”
Rose said tornados in conjunction with the storm should not be a big concern this far inland, but added that a wind advisory would be in effect through Tuesday. Rose said winds would be out of the east from 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts as high as 35 mph.
A flood watch is also in effect for the area. The watch started at 9 a.m. Monday and would continue through 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to Rose. The extended flood watch is due to the fact that Ida could slow as it reaches land.
Tallapoosa County Emergency Management Agency director Joe Paul Boone said the agency was alerting everyone of the significance of the approaching system. He said the agency was talking with local fire departments as well as the school boards.
“We’re watching this weather and talking with the weather service,” Boone said.
There is about a 90 percent chance of rain on Tuesday with a high near 64. Tuesday night will be mostly cloudy with gradual clearing and a low of 51 degrees. The system should clear out by Veterans Day with a high near 67 and a north wind between 15 to 20 mph. It will be sunny Thursday with a high near 65. Friday will be sunny with a high near 70. Saturday will also have a high in the 70s.
