• Home
• News
• Events
• Features
• Sports
• About
• Contact
• Advertise

Free Classifieds | Obituaries |

It’s Only Getting Hotter

It’s going to be downright hot the next few days, according to the National Weather Service. A ridge of high pressure will build over the area, pushing temperatures up near 100 and heat index values as high as 110.

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

• Friday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Calm wind becoming southwest between 5 and 10 mph.
• Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69. South wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm.
• Saturday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm.
• Sunday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73. South wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm.
• Monday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
• Tuesday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
• Independence Day: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
• Thursday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Latest Update On TS Debby

The latest conditions and forecast path for Tropical Strom Debby are in the graphic above, click to enlarge.

Images on this page are updated live by the National Hurricane Center. Reload the page to see the latest updates.

Summer Reading Program Today At Library

The Summer Reading Series for kids and teens at the Century Branch Library will continue at noon today.

Today’s program will feature cartooning with Mike Artell. The award-winning cartoonist and illustrator will present an exciting time of cool and creepy facts about a variety of subjects that will get kids excited about reading, writing, drawing and creative thinking.

There will not be a program next Tuesday, July 3. The Summer Reading Series will conclude on Tuesday, July 10 with a program featuring drums with Mark Seymour. Children will explore the world of drums, drum styles and sounds.

The Century Branch Library also offers a preschool story time each Tuesday in June at 10:30 a.m. for children birth to five-years old.

For more information, call the library at (850) 256-6217.

Pictured: An earlier Summer Reading Series program at the Century Branch Library. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.

Gulf Power Prepares For Debby

Gulf Power Company is making preparations for Tropical Storm Debbie and is asking customers to plan for power outages as the storm moves slowly towards Northwest Florida.

“With a direct hit by a strong tropical storm or a category one hurricane, some areas could be without power for several days, depending on the damage,” said Jeff Rogers, corporate communications supervisor with Gulf Power. “We have storm-tested crews and a comprehensive response plan that we are prepared to put into action, but it does take time to safely put the electric system back together after a severe tropical storm or hurricane.”

The utility  has already made contact with its sister utilities, Mississippi Power, Alabama Power and Georgia Power, should it need to call on their resources for assistance.  Gulf Power will also be in contact with other utilities throughout the Southeast to either provide assistance or receive assistance, depending on where Debbie makes landfall.

Rogers said Gulf Power encourages customers to prepare for the storm as well.  “The better prepared our customers are, the easier the restoration process will be for everyone,” Rogers said. “We prepare year-round for the unexpected, and we urge everyone to be prepared and have a plan.”

“Fortunately, we have a lot of experience in emergency restoration work,” Rogers said.  “We send crews to hurricane stricken areas almost every season to help out.  And we know we can count on that same help if we have a hurricane here.”

After Hurricane Ivan in 2004 Gulf Power brought in more than 5,000 outside workers who completed the major restoration process in less than two weeks.

Here are some power line and generator safety tips from the Gulf Power Storm Center site:

• Treat any downed wire as if it is energized. You can’t tell by looking if a downed wire is live or not. Telephone or cable television wires that are touching a power line could become energized and should also be avoided. Notify Gulf Power, your local emergency agency, or call 911 to report the location of any downed lines.
• Don’t attempt to repair the electrical system or pull tree limbs off lines. Let trained work crews perform this potentially dangerous work.
• Stay clear of areas with substantial debris or downed trees because it could conceal an energized power line. Also stay clear of chain link fences which may be energized if touching a downed line.
• Wait a reasonable time before calling Gulf Power if your entire neighborhood is without power.
• If you have an electric generator, please ensure that you have isolated your home or business from the utility electrical service lines by opening main breakers or other devices.

Do not connect portable generators to your household electrical wiring. This can cause serious injury to you and to Gulf Power employees working on the lines in your neighborhood.

• Connect only essential appliances — such as freezers and refrigerators — directly to the generator.
• NEVER use a generator in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces. Generators can produce high levels of carbon monoxide very quickly. When you use a portable generator, remember that you cannot smell or see carbon monoxide.
• NEVER try to power the house wiring by plugging the generator into a wall outlet, a practice known as “back-feeding.” This is an extremely dangerous practice that presents an electrocution risk to utility workers and neighbors served by the same utility transformer. It also bypasses some of the built-in household circuit-protection devices.

Here are some more storm tips from the Gulf Power Storm Center site:

• Turn your air conditioning down to cool down your house before the storm. If you keep the doors and windows closed you can keep your house relatively cool for about 48 hours after the storm.
• Charge your cell phone before the storm — and anything else that needs to be charged.
• Keep freezer doors closed and sealed. Well-filled freezers keep most foods frozen two to three days if the door is kept closed.
• If your power goes out, turn off your air conditioning unit.  Wait a few minutes after the power is restored before turning your system back on.  This way every air conditioning system in your neighborhood will not come on at the same time, overloading circuits.
• Leave a porch light switched on so that utility crews will be able to determine immediately the success of specific repairs.

Escambia, Santa Rosa Emergency Officials Watching Debby

Forecasters say the worst of Tropical Storm Debby will not hit Escambia or Santa Rosa counties, but the storm bears watching for a possible change in direction. And county officials say now is the time to review your disaster plans.

The following information has been released by local emergency management officials:

Escambia County:

• The National Park Service has closed Fort Pickens Park due to concerns about coastal flooding.
• Escambia County Emergency Management is closely monitoring the forecast track for Tropical Storm Debby. Further updates will be issued as needed.

Santa Rosa County:

• There is a high risk of strong/dangerous rip currents at the beaches and the risk will likely continue through early next week.
• Given the recent heavy rains in the area, the thresholds for flooding are lower than normal.
• Santa Rosa County Emergency Management is currently monitoring and preparing for any possible effects. While the emergency operation center is not activated at this time, staff are watching the system closely and participating in conference calls with the National Weather Service and State Emergency Operations Center.

Steps Residents Can Take Now

• Beachgoers, swimmers and surfers should heed red flag warnings and stay out of the water as deadly rip currents and rough surf conditions are expected.
• Review your family disaster plan. Don’t forget special plans for elderly, handicapped, children and pets.
• Know your evacuation zone.
• Make plans to secure your property. Check for, fix or remove loose items on your structures/homes. Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are well trimmed. Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and down spouts.
• Make sure your hurricane kit contains non-perishable food, water, medications for three to five days for each family member and pet.
• Know what low-lying areas near your home are subject to flooding such as creeks, drainage channels, streams and bayous.

Tropical Storm Warning: Debbie Churns In The Gulf

A tropical storm warning has been issued for South Alabama and Northwest Florida as Tropical Storm Debby, the fourth storm of the 2012 hurricane season, continues to churn in the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center said Saturday the storm is expected to move over the northern Gulf of Mexico with gradual turn toward the Florida Panhandle during the next few days. Debby is forecast to become a hurricane.

The latest conditions and forecast path for Debby are in the graphic above, click to enlarge.

For the coastal portions of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, there is a high surf and coast flood advisory in effect. Winds are forecast to be 10-15 mph in the inland areas and 15-20 mph closer to the coast on Sunday with gusts of 30 mph possible. For more on the local impacts from Debby, click here.

Debby has also forced the suspension of eight percent of the region’s oil and gas production.

Officials said nine production platforms and one drilling rig were evacuated — including one drilling rig towed into Pensacola Bay. The reduced production is not expected to impact oil prices unless the storm strengthens and forces more production platforms to close.

It is the first time four tropical storms have formed before July 1 during the Atlantic hurricane season since record keeping began in 1851.

Images on this page are updated live by the National Hurricane Center. Reload the page to see the latest update.

Tropical Storm Debby Forms In Gulf

Tropical Storm Debby formed in the Gulf of Mexico this afternoon with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.

Debby was located about 220 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and moving north at about 6 mph. Debby is forecast to change to a more westerly course, impacting southern Louisiana before making an eventual landfall in Texas.

Complete information is in the National Hurricane Center graphic above, click to enlarge.

Central Water Works Well Repaired

[Updated 5 p.m.] A Central Water Works water well that failed earlier today has been repaired. The failure had put about 500 customers in danger of losing water service.

The well on Killam Road was repaired by about 5 p.m. with the water tower tank that serves the area still about one-quarter full, company officials said.

The well serves Central Water Works customers in Byrneville, Poplar Dell and north into Alabama including portions of Old Atmore Road and Clearview Road, and customers on Highway 4 from Byrneville to about Williams Road in Century.

Latest Gulf System Update, Plus Weekend Forecast

This story has been updated. This an archive story only. Latest info available on TS Debbie on NorthEscambia.com.

Forecasters are continuing to watch a large surface low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico that the National Hurricane Center says has a good chance of development this weekend.

The system is drifting slowly northward, but computer models differ on a hard turn for the storm either toward Texas or central Florida.

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

• Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast.
• Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. East wind around 5 mph.
• Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. East wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
• Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
• Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. East wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. East wind between 5 and 10 mph.
• Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. East wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
• Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
• Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94.
• Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 76.
• Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.
• Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 75.
• Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.

Eyes On The Gulf: Tropical System Could Form Today

The National Hurricane Center is now giving a broad area of low pressure centered near the northern coast of the Yucatan a good chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours.

The area of low pressure is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms from the Yucatan to Cuba and southern Florida. Upper level winds are becoming more favorable for development.

All interests along the entire United States Gulf Coast should monitor the progress of this system through the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Copyright © 2007-2026 NorthEscambia.com · P.O. Box 1207 · Century, FL 32535 · All Rights Reserved.