The Latest: Sally speeding up, still dumping heavy rain

Here are the latest developments on tropical weather:

MIAMI - Sally is moving a lot faster but it’s still dumping heavy rains in southeastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina, where forecasters also said there was a chance of tornadoes.

The National Hurricane Center said Sally was traveling at 15 mph as it moved over the Carolinas and Virginia late Thursday. The storm was expected to dump as much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) in those states, prompting warnings of flash flooding and moderate river flooding. As much as 8 inches of rain fell in central Georgia on Thursday.

By late Thursday, Sally’s winds had dropped to 25 mph (40 kph).

Hurricane Sally rolled through the area Wednesday with 105 mph (165 kph) winds, a surge of seawater and 1 to 2 1/2 feet (0.3 to 0.8 meters) of rain in many places. Hundreds of people were trapped by floodwaters and had to be rescued Thursday by emergency workers using high-water vehicles and personal watercraft.

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MIAMI - A new tropical depression has formed in the Gulf just hours after Hurricane Sally left.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported Thursday evening that Tropical Depression 22 had formed over the southwestern Gulf and was forecast to move slowly over the western Gulf into next week.

There was no threat to land as of Thursday night, but the center says the depression could become a tropical storm on Friday.

The depression had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (56 kph) and was located Thursday night about 230 miles (370 kilometers) east of Tampico, Mexico, and about 330 miles (531 kilometers) southeast of the the mouth of the Rio Grande. The storm is moving about 5 mph (8 kph).

Hurricane Sally rolled through the area Wednesday with 105 mph (165 kph) winds, a surge of seawater and 1 to 2 1/2 feet (0.3 to 0.8 meters) of rain in many places. Hundreds of people were trapped by floodwaters and had to be rescued Thursday by emergency workers using high-water vehicles and personal watercraft.

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PENSACOLA, Fla. - Although once-powerful Hurricane Sally is no longer a serious storm, flooding is still a problem along rivers and creeks swollen by its heavy rains.

Steve Miller is with the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama. He said most rivers fed by the storm were cresting in Alabama and the Panhandle on Thursday, although the Shoal, in Florida, was still rising. He said the Shoal was expected to crest by late Thursday or Friday.

Near Crestview, Florida, portions of the two main roadways running east to west through the Panhandle were closed because of flooding from the Shoal.

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PENSACOLA, Fla. - Rescuers on the Gulf Coast are using high-water vehicles to reach people cut off by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally.

Authorities said crews carried out at least 400 rescues in Escambia County, Florida, on Thursday by such means as high-water vehicles, boats and water scooters.

Across southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, homeowners and businesses began cleaning up, and officials inspected bridges and highways for safety.

Sally rolled through the area Wednesday with 105 mph (165 kph) winds, a surge of seawater and 1 to 2 1/2 feet (0.3 to 0.8 meters) of rain in many places.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Though Hurricane Sally has passed, officials in Alabama and Florida are warning that the disaster isn’t over yet.

Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Brian Hastings said Thursday morning that inland flooding remains a concern. He says flooding continues to be a problem in the state’s southern counties and they expect many rivers to be in moderate or major flood state at noon and continuing through the weekend.

In Florida, Escambia County Emergency Management Manager Eric Gilmore warned “we are not out of the woods yet,” noting the dangers from cresting rivers.

Sally sloshed ashore Wednesday morning on the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane. It has since weakened to a tropical depression.

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WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — County sheriffs in Georgia are reporting numerous trees down and closures of flooded highways and streets as Sally moves across the South, dumping rain.

In central Georgia, Robins Air Force Base closed one of its entrances Thursday morning due to flooding. In a Facebook post, the base said it would delay the start of the workday for some employees.

Authorities have warned that rain from the storm could swell eight waterways in Florida and Alabama to record levels.

Sally sloshed ashore Wednesday morning on the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane. It has since weakened to a tropical depression.

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PENSACOLA, Fla. - Pensacola International Airport remains closed and officials say they need to assess the safety of the runway and its facility before it reopens after Hurricane Sally sloshed ashore on the Gulf Coast.

In a statement Wednesday evening, the airport gave no timeline on when it would reopen. The airport closed Monday as Sally bore down.

The airport typically has dozens of daily flights from airlines that include Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Frontier Airlines. It’s asking passengers to contact their airlines about canceled flights.

Authorities have warned that rain from the storm could swell eight waterways in Florida and Alabama to record levels. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents and visitors of possible river flooding in the coming days.

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MIAMI - Sally continues to weaken as it moves over the South after hitting the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane but is still a dangerous rainmaker as it moves into Georgia on a path to the Carolinas.

The tropical depression’s maximum sustained winds early Thursday have decreased to near 30 mph (45 kph) with additional weakening expected.

As of 5 a.m. EDT, Sally was centered about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Montgomery, Alabama, and is moving northeast near 12 mph (19 kph).

Authorities have warned that rain from the storm could swell eight waterways in Florida and Alabama to record levels. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents and visitors of possible river flooding in the coming days.

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MIAMI - Teddy has become a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm is currently located about 625 miles (1006 km) east-northeast of The Lesser Antilles. Teddy is moving toward the northwest at about 12 miles per hour (19 kph), the general motion it is expected to continue through the weekend.

Additional strengthening is forecasted to happen during the next couple of days, and Teddy could become a major hurricane Thursday night or Friday, the center said.

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PENSACOLA, Florida - Rivers swollen by Hurricane Sally’s rains could mean more problems for parts of south Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

Sally had diminished to a tropical depression by late Wednesday. But it was still a rainmaker as it moved into Georgia on a path to the Carolinas on Thursday.

Authorities warned that rain from the storm could swell eight waterways in Florida and Alabama to record levels.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents and visitors of possible river flooding in the coming days. The National Weather Service says the small city of Brewton, Alabama, can expect moderate to major flooding.