The western Florida Panhandle and the Alabama coastlines are now feeling tropical storm force winds from Gordon.

Gordon hit south Florida Monday with frequent downpours and gusty winds. 

From there it entered the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and strengthened. 

Tropical Storm Gordon is making landfall along the Alabama/Mississippi Coastlines overnight.

The system is located approximately 30 miles east-southeast of Biloxi, Mississippi and 35 miles south-southwest of Mobile, Alabama.  

Maximum sustained winds are at 70 mph. It is moving to the northwest at 14 mph.

A Storm Surge warning is in effect from Louisiana to Dauphin Island, on the Alabama-Florida border.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect from Pearl River to the Alabama-Florida border, and a Tropical Storm warning is in effect from the Alabama-Florida border to the Okaloose-Walton County line.

The governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant, has declared a state of emergency.

Louisiana is also under a state of emergency. Schools in New Orleans are closed Tuesday due to the potential impacts.

Weather experts says the storm is expected to bring a life-threatening storm surge to the central Gulf Coast.

The mayor of New Orleans says crews have been cleaning catch basins in areas prone to flooding.

"Exercise extreme caution at this time I'm also issuing a voluntary evacuation order only for areas outside of the levee system," Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.

As the storm pushes to the east, it could cause more problems for Florida. Gov. Rick Scott tweeted that the Panhandle could see heavy rains and flooding.