At 0000 UTC on September 5 the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) formally secured operations initiated ahead of Tropical Storm Gordon, which had been forecast to become a Category 1 hurricane. The HWN had activated at 1500 UTC on September 4, as it typically does whenever a hurricane is within 300 miles of landfall.

“The net rarely activates for tropical storms, unless they are forecast to become hurricanes prior to landfall or at the request of the forecasters at the National Hurricane Center,” HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, said. “In this case, this morning Gordon had been forecast to become a Cat 1 Hurricane prior to landfall.”

The forecast now calls for Gordon to make landfall most likely as a tropical storm, although the National Hurricane Center said that Gordon could still become a hurricane before landfall occurs along the north-central Gulf Coast. 

As of 2100 UTC, Gordon was about 75 miles southeast of Biloxi, Mississippi, and about 70 miles south of Mobile, Alabama, with maximum sustained winds of 70 MPH, and moving to the northwest at 14 MPH.

“The 2018 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season is still young, so, please do not drop your guard,” Graves advised. “If you haven’t done so already, now would be a good time to review your Family Emergency Plan and your Emergency Supply Checklist. We have links to download both found in the middle of our website homepage.