Heavy rains dousing South as tropical disturbance looms

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Parts of the drought-parched South are under flood watches and warnings with forecasters saying as much as 10 inches of rain could fall.

The National Weather service says an advancing cold front will collide with a weather disturbance that became a tropical depression early Friday in the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center said the storm’s center was 320 miles (515 kilometers) south-southwest of Lake Charles, Louisiana. It had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph).

Forecasters say coastal Louisiana could receive as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain Friday and Saturday; 6 inches (15 centimeters) was possible across a wide section of Mississippi.

Rainfall totals ranging from 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 centimeters) are possible from Alabama to South Carolina.

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