Gordon was about 25 miles (40 km) south-south east of Jackson, Mississippi and packing winds of 35mph in the latest update from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) at 7am local time (1pm BST).
Flash flood warnings and watches were in effect for inland areas while all coastal watches and warnings associated with Gordon were discontinued at this time.
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 12 inches (30 cm) of rain.
A child was killed yesterday when a tree fell on a mobile home in Pensacola, Florida.
The storm is forecast to move across the lower Mississippi Valley through today.
More than 35,000 homes and businesses in Alabama and Mississippi were without electricity earlier today.
The storm’s strong winds have knocked out power in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama, leaving at least 30,000 people in the dark.