Tropical Storm Gordon has weakened after making landfall just west of the Alabama-Mississippi border and lashing the US Gulf Coast with high winds and heavy rain.
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Gordon was about 30 km northwest of Hattiesburg, Mississippi and packing winds of 70km/h, the US National Hurricane Center said early on Wednesday.
The storm, which is expected to weaken to a tropical depression later in the day, will likely move across the lower Mississippi Valley through the day, the NHC added.
Flash flood warnings and watches were in effect for inland areas while all coastal watches and warnings associated with Gordon were discontinued.
A child was killed on Tuesday when a tree fell on a mobile home in Pensacola, Florida, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter.
Governors in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama declared a state of emergency while companies cut 9 per cent of US Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production.
Tropical-storm force winds were lashing the Alabama and western Florida panhandle coastlines and some areas still recovering from last year's storms could see 30 cm of rain.
More than 35,000 homes and businesses in Alabama and Mississippi were without electricity early on Wednesday, Poweroutages.us reported.
Sea levels could rise as much as 1.5 m from Shell Beach, Louisiana, to Dauphin Island, Alabama, forecasters said.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency told South Mississippi residents to be prepared to evacuate.
Oil producer Anadarko Petroleum Corp evacuated workers and shut production at two offshore oil platforms on Monday and other companies with production and refining operations along the Gulf Coast said they were securing facilities.
The Gulf of Mexico is home to 17 per cent of US crude oil and 5 per cent of natural gas output daily.
Australian Associated Press
