page_title: Tropical Storm Alberto (2018)
section_title: Preparations
hierarchical_section_title: Tropical Storm Alberto (2018) / Preparations
caption_attribution_description: English: A rain forecast from the National weather service.
context_page_description: Tropical Storm Alberto was a deadly pre-season tropical cyclone that caused $125 million in damage to the Gulf Coast in late May 2018, the highest for any pre-season tropical cyclone. The first storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, Alberto developed on May 25 near the Yucatán Peninsula as a subtropical cyclone. As it entered the Gulf of Mexico, Alberto intensified and transitioned into a tropical cyclone. Early on May 28, Alberto reached its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and a minimum pressure of 990 mbar. Afterward, however, dry air caused Alberto to weaken before it made landfall near Laguna Beach, Florida, with winds of 45 mph. Alberto maintained a compact area of thunderstorms as it progressed through the central United States, entering southern Michigan as a tropical depression on May 31. That day, Alberto weakened further and dissipated over Ontario.
  Along its path, Alberto dropped heavy rainfall, mainly to the east of its storm path. In Cuba, storm flooding killed ten people, and also damaged houses, roads and crops. Floodwaters caused an oil spill in Cienfuegos Bay.
context_section_description: Upon the classification of Alberto as a subtropical storm, the Government of Mexico issued a tropical storm watch for the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula from Tulum to Cabo Catoche. The Government of Cuba also issued a tropical storm watch for the province of Pinar del Río. The tropical storm watch for the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula was discontinued at 12:00 UTC on May 26, while the tropical storm watch for Pinar del Río was replaced with a tropical storm warning three hours later.
  Multiple tropical storm watches and warnings were issued across the Gulf Coast of the United States in preparation for Alberto's arrival. The first advisories were issued at 21:00 UTC on May 25, with a tropical storm watch being issued from Indian Pass, Florida, westward to Grand Isle, Louisiana, and a storm surge watch being issued from Horseshoe Beach, Florida, to the mouth of the Mississippi River. At 15:00 UTC the following day, a tropical storm warning was issued for the Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys, and the storm surge watch on the Gulf Coast of the United States was extended eastward to Crystal River, Florida. At 21:00 UTC, tropical storm warnings were issued for the west coast of Florida from Bonita Beach to the Anclote River, and for the northern Gulf Coast from the Aucilla River westward to the Mississippi/Alabama border. All warnings were discontinued after the tropical cyclone moved ashore.
  A state of emergency was declared for the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, where Alberto was expected to have the greatest impacts. In advance of Alberto, multiple evacuation orders were issued for parts of Florida. In Franklin County, a mandatory evacuation order was put in place for its barrier islands, while in nearby Taylor County, a voluntary evacuation order was issued for coastal areas. Florida governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for the entirety of Florida on May 26. In the Gulf of Mexico, oil companies Exxon Mobil Corp, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron Corporation evacuated workers and shut down production platforms in Alberto's path.
caption: Initial rain forecast from NWS showing significant rain in the Pink areas.
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