A lot can change in a few hours, but as it stands now, Hurricane Sally will hit the U.S. Gulf Coast somewhere near the Mississippi/Alabama border late today or early Wednesday. Forecasters were not expecting high winds from the storm, which was a weak Category 1 this morning, but the slow moving system could lead to heavy rains in the region, with 8-16 inches of water.
Consulting firm ICIS says most plastics firms in the region were operating normally as of Monday evening, but keeping an eye on the conditions.
However, ICIS noted, storms can also disrupt travel and infrastructure.
"Norfolk Southern railroad warned that customers should expect delays as a result of the closing of the flood gates," ICIS wrote. The ports of New Orleans, Mobile, Ala., and Pascagoula, Miss., closed ahead of the storm.
Sally is one of five named storms currently being tracked in the Atlantic Ocean in this busy storm year.
We'll update here if we hear of any changes to expectations.