Hurricane Sally

Hurricane Sally swamps US Gulf Coast with massive floods, 'unreal' rain

Some parts of the Gulf Coast have already been inundated with more than 18 inches (46 cm) of rain in the last 24 hours, with more precipitation expected even as the storm's winds slow, the National Hurricane Center said.

Pensacola, Florida, a coastal resort community of 50,000, suffered up to five feet of flooding and travel was cut by damaged roads and bridges. More than 500,000 homes and businesses across the area were without power as the storm knocked over stately oak trees and tore power lines from poles.

'Catastrophic flooding' as Hurricane Sally hits US

The storm's sluggish speed, roughly 5mph (7km/h), increases its capacity for destruction, pummelling coastal states with heavy rain.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported flooding from Tallahassee, Florida to Mobile Bay in Alabama.

It also warned of a "life-threatening" storm surge and river flooding inland as far as Georgia.

Hurricane Sally is one of several storms in the Atlantic Ocean, with officials running out of letters to name the hurricanes as they near the end of their annual alphabetic list.