⁍ Some parts of the Gulf Coast have already been inundated with more than 18 inches of rain in the last 24 hours.

---

⁍ Parts of Pensacola, Florida, were swamped with floods as high as five feet.

---

⁍ More than 500,000 homes and businesses were without power in Alabama and Florida.

---

– Hurricane Sally made landfall on the Gulf Coast in Alabama early Wednesday as a Category 2 hurricane, bringing with it heavy rains and winds that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people, Reuters reports. The storm made landfall near the Alabama-Florida border and was moving at a slow 4 mile-per-hour, the National Hurricane Center says. The region could see as much as 3 feet of rain, as the storm moved at a slow 4 mile-per-hour pace toward the Alabama-Florida border, similar to other recent US storms that caused massive flooding and property damage. More than 500,000 homes and businesses were without power in Alabama and Florida early Wednesday, according to local utilities, with more outages expected. Upon landfall at Gulf Shores, Alabama, winds were clocked at 105mph. At the Gulf State Park, a section of the pier broke, according to local media. Officials across the South called on residents of low-lying areas to shelter away from rain and winds. In Pensacola, wind gusts clocked 77mph on Wednesday, and images on social media showed major floods. One witness reported hailstorms in the city as well. Winds were also strong in Mobile, Alabama, where windows shook downtown, and trees and power lines swayed. Dexter Hart, who lives near the city, relocated to a hotel in the area because his house is surrounded by trees. “It’s scary right now,” he says. “It’s been keeping me up all night.”