Publication Date October 9, 2017 | AL.com

Hurricane Nate aftermath: 6 inches of rain in Mobile, 6 foot storm surges, minor damage

United States
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images

Hurricane Nate brought up to 6 inches of rain in areas of Mobile and Covington County in southeastern Alabama, with wind gusts reaching 65 mph at the Mobile Regional Airport.

The National Weather Service in Mobile, in preliminary estimates from the Category 1 storm, reported storm surges of 5-1/2 to 6 feet above normal tide along coastal areas. Water Street in downtown Mobile and the Spanish Fort Causeway were both flooded on Sunday after Hurricane Nate raced inland.

The weather service will release a final report on Hurricane Nate sometime later this week.

Don Shepherd, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Mobile, said Monday that he's gathered from several sources that Hurricane Nate may have been fastest-moving storm ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico.

Nate made its initial landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River in southeast Louisiana, with winds of 85 mph, according to the hurricane center. The storm made its second U.S. landfall near Biloxi, Miss., shortly after midnight Sunday.

Structural damage has been relatively minor in Mobile and Baldwin counties. A tornado was reported in West Mobile, and had maximum winds of 75 mph. It was on the ground for a short period of time.