By The Associated Press

Troy Warren for CNT

MIAMI — A tropical storm warning was issued Thursday for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as a potential tropical cyclone advanced toward the northern Gulf Coast.

The warning extends from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Heavy rainfall and flooding will likely be the most significant hazard, with the storm reaching the coast beginning Friday, forecasters said.

As of Thursday evening, the storm was located about 475 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph.

The potential tropical cyclone is expected to produce total rainfall of 3 to 6 inches, with isolated amounts of 8 inches across the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, according to the forecast.

Rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches, are possible beginning Friday and continuing through the weekend from the Central Gulf coast northeastward into the Southern Appalachians.

The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline, the hurricane center said. The water could reach the heights of several feet.

Meteorologists expect the 2021 season to be busy but not as crazy as the record-breaking 2020 season.