Sally downgraded to depression; catastrophic flooding threat continues for Florida Panhandle

ORLANDO, Fla. — Update: Hurricane Sally was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday evening, but continues to dump rain on multiple states. See our full coverage below:

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See our previous coverage below:

Hurricane Sally made landfall Wednesday morning near Gulf Shores, Alabama as a Category 2 hurricane. Sally was downgraded to a tropical storm, but the threat but catastrophic flooding continues as the system moves slowly.

New video of the flood damage shows the extent of damage from the storm.

Neighbors in downtown Pensacola have reported water coming into their homes.

Also in Pensacola, tropical storm wind gusts wiped out a portion of the Three Mile Bridge, pushing a barge with a crane on it toward I-10 over the Bay.

The storm has knocked out power for about half a million people across three states.

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Tropical Storm Sally

Sally moves slowly to the north-northeast at 5mph, and a slightly faster motion to the northeast is expected starting later this afternoon. Maximum sustained wind will continue to decrease as Sally moves over land, and it will likely become a depression by Thursday morning before moving over Georgia. The storm could bring as much as 35 inches of rain to some areas. The storm pushed ocean water inland across Downtown Pensacola early Wednesday morning.

Florida will remain with tropical moisture lingering around through the end of the week as Sally continues to pull it from the south as it travels over Georgia and the Carolinas. See local weather forecast here.

Dry air started to infiltrate the system and the wind shear coming from the west has shifted it’s convection to the east. Expect higher rainfall to affect northern Florida, Alabama, and Georgia through the next couple of days.

Rainfall has already fallen across parts of Florida reaching between 15-20 inches, especially Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in northwest Florida. Another 10 inches could be possible for some areas along Sally’s track.

Photos: Hurricane Sally approaches Gulf coast Several residents frolic in a flooded parking lot in Navarre, Florida, on Tuesday. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press )

Photos: Hurricane Sally approaches Gulf coast A man takes a photo at Navarre Beach, Florida, on Tuesday as waves generated from Hurricane Sally pound the beach. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press )

Photos: Hurricane Sally approaches coast Bruce Laden walks along a pier in Biloxi, Mississippi, to find a spot to fish early Tuesday before the arrival of Hurricane Sally. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images )

Photos: Hurricane Sally approaches Gulf coast Waves crash at a pier in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Tuesday as Hurricane Sally approaches the coast. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press )

Photos: Hurricane Sally approaches Gulf coast A man walks through a flooded parking lot in Gulf Shores, Alabama on Tuesday as Hurricane Sally approaches the coast. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Photos: Hurricane Sally approaches Gulf coast Roads began to flood in Pascagoula, Mississippi on Tuesday as Hurricane Sally approached the Gulf Coast. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images))

Photos: Hurricane Sally approaches Gulf coast Courtney Watts of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, exits the beach in Gulf Shores on Tuesday as Hurricane Sally approaches the coast. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press )

Photos: Hurricane Sally approaches Gulf Coast A person huddles against the wind at a park in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Tuesday. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press )

Photos: Hurricane Sally approaches Gulf Coast Residents walk on the coastal road in Pascagoula, Mississippi, as Hurricane Sally churned toward the Gulf coast on Tuesday. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

Photos: Hurricane Sally approaches Gulf coast A man carries empty fuel containers as he walks along the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Tuesday. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press)

Read: La Niña is officially declared; tropical effects already being seen

There are a few other systems in the Atlantic, here’s what you need to know about them:

Hurricane Teddy

Hurricane Teddy is expected to continue gaining strength, by Thursday, this will likely be a major category hurricane well north of the Caribbean.

It will stay out to sea, but the Bermudas should monitor Teddy’s forecast closely.

Wednesday late morning, the National Hurricane Center’s track showed Teddy coming very close to the Bermudas as a strong category 2 hurricane on Monday.

If this materializes this will be the second hurricane that strikes the Bermudas this month.

Tropical Storm Vicky

Tropical Storm Vicky continues to move very slowly and it is losing its (weak) punch. By Thursday it will be a depression and it will continue to crawl over the Central Atlantic.

The storm is forecast to weaken due to strong upper-level winds.

Hurricane Paulette

Hurricane Paulette is maintaining its strength as it accelerates northeastward while losing its tropical characteristic. We’ve clearly seen how the system’s wind field has greatly expanded as it moves over the northern Atlantic, and higher latitudes. Paulette will slow down and turn southeastward by Thursday.

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