After announcing a state of emergency earlier this afternoon, Gov. Kay Ivey has announced the closure of all beaches effective immediately at 3 p.m. in a recent tweet.

Ivey also recommended an evacuation of residents south of I-10 as river and flash flooding is expected with the storm.

"Alabamians are no stranger to tropical weather and the significant damage these storms can do, even though our state is not currently in the direct line of impact," Ivey said in a press release. "Locals will need to prepare their homes, businesses and personal property for imminent storm surge, heavy rain and flash flooding."

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According to the National Weather Service in Birmingham, Sally has been upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane as it closes in on the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Sally is expected to bring heavy rainfall late on Tuesday into Thursday, with the highest rainfall totals landing between I-20 and I-85.

The National Weather Service is expected to release an updated forecast at 4 p.m. Follow The Tuscaloosa Thread for more information as it becomes available.

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