Subtropical storm vs. tropical storm: What's the difference?
Subtropical Storm Alberto is expected to be classified as a tropical storm by early Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Alberto will become a tropical storm when it stops interacting with a lower pressure system, said Morgan Barry, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama.
"The wind speeds of tropical and subtropical systems are the same, so we are telling folks not to focus on the wording because the impacts will be the same. We are going to have coastal flooding, flash flooding and high surf," she said.
A subtropical storm, like a tropical storm, has sustained winds of at least 39 mph, but has a different structure than a tropical storm with winds farther from the center. It can develop into a tropical storm.
More on Subtropical Storm Alberto:
- Subtropical Storm Alberto: What you need to know
- Subtropical Storm Alberto forms in Caribbean Sea, creeps toward Gulf of Mexico
- 2018 hurricane season: Live storm tracker
Subtropical Storm Alberto has maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour and is moving north-northeast at 6 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said in its Friday morning advisory.
The storm is expected to gradually strengthen over the next 72 hours and approach the north-central Gulf Coast on Monday.
The forecast cone currently places the storm making landfall as a tropical storm anywhere between Okaloosa County and the Louisiana coast, with the center of the cone aimed at the Mississippi coast.
The storm is expected to bring heavy rains to the Pensacola area with six to 12 inches of rainfall expected and even higher amounts possible in some areas.