Orange Beach, AL – A tropical weather system brewing in the Gulf of Mexico could wash out the Labor Day weekend on Alabama beaches while bringing some badly needed rain to the state.
Forecasters say the storm could dump as much as 15 inches of rain on the coast, and they've already issued a flash flood watch through Monday.
The system will likely dampen a big holiday weekend on Alabama's beaches in Baldwin and Mobile counties. But it could also help ease drought conditions that are worsening across the state.
Climate officials say 80 percent of the state is either abnormally dry or in a drought, and conditions are bad in southern counties that could receive some of the heaviest rains.
The storm shouldn't affect the Alabama and Auburn football games on Saturday.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)