Nearly Regains Hurricane Strength, Then Weakens : Storm Heads Inland at Alabama, Florida

Erratic Tropical Storm Juan returned to the Gulf of Mexico and spun briefly back up to nearly hurricane strength Thursday, then headed inland over rain-soaked Alabama and Florida.

Gale warnings were posted from Port Arthur, Tex., to Fort Myers, Fla., and tornado warnings were issued for parts of Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Thunderstorms spread across the region and tides reached four to six feet above normal along the coast.

Late in the morning, Juan carried squalls up to 70 m.p.h.--near hurricane force of 74 m.p.h.

But by late afternoon its highest sustained winds were estimated at 50 to 60 m.p.h. At nightfall the storm’s broad center was near Montgomery, Ala.

Ready to Evacuate

Florida Gov. Bob Graham cut short a trip to Washington and urged coastal residents to be ready to evacuate, as they did ahead of Hurricane Elena during the Labor Day weekend. However, no evacuations were ordered because officials did not want motorists jamming roads while tornadoes were forecast.

Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace declared a state of emergency and the Emergency Management Agency opened shelters in coastal cities.

At least seven persons have been killed by the sudden, late-season storm since it sprawled along the Louisiana coast Sunday. Seven persons were unaccounted for, but four others aboard a sailboat were reported safe Thursday more than two days after they were reported missing.

Slowly Receding

Water began slowly receding in tidal Louisiana and Mississippi as wind behind the storm shifted to the north, and some people were allowed to return home.

The storm poured more than eight inches of rain on Mobile, Ala., from Sunday through Wednesday. The Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss., area got more than seven inches.

After bursting to hurricane strength Sunday, the storm skipped north Monday toward the Texas-Louisiana border, veered back east Tuesday and was downgraded to a tropical storm as it loitered near Lafayette, La. On Wednesday, it suddenly turned back to the southeast and re-entered the Gulf south of New Orleans, then headed for Florida.

Weird Storms

“It was predicted there would be more than the usual number of storms this year, but they didn’t say they would be weird,” Escambia County Civil Defense coordinator M. K. Renfroe said Thursday in Pensacola. “It’s like trying to dodge a speeding truck. If you know which way it’s going and how fast, you can take evasive action.”

Hurricane Elena hit parts of the Florida Panhandle twice over the Labor Day weekend. “I thought hurricane season was all over after that,” said Marie Hall, who operates a fishing camp in southwestern Mississippi.

In advance of Juan, tornadoes touched down in Florida’s Hillsborough, Pasco and Manatee counties, destroying about 25 homes just north of Tampa, but no injuries were reported. Hillsborough County Sheriff Walter Heinrich made a preliminary damage estimate of $1.5 million.