A child has died as a tree fell on to a mobile home as Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall on the US Gulf Coast.

Escambia County Sheriff’s office in Florida said officers responded to a call of the fallen tree in Pensacola and discovered the child, whose name and age was not released. There were no other injuries.

Just before 9:00 p.m. ECSO Deputies responded to the 4000-block of West Bobe Street after receiving a call that a tree…

Posted by Escambia County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, September 4, 2018

The National Hurricane Centre said Gordon made landfall just west of the Alabama-Mississippi border but is forecast to quickly weaken as it moves inland across Mississippi, Louisiana and into Arkansas. It did not reach hurricane status.

Gordon strengthened in the final hours as it neared the central Gulf Coast, clocking top sustained winds of 70mh.

The National Hurricane Centre said Gordon’s tight core was about 30 miles south east of Biloxi, Mississippi, or about 35 miles south of Mobile, Alabama, where heavy rain and wind picked up shortly before nightfall.

More than 27,000 customers were without power on Tuesday night as Gordon began pushing ashore. The outages were mostly in coastal Alabama and included the western tip of the Florida Panhandle around Pensacola, with a few hundred in south-eastern Mississippi.

Pensacola International Airport reported more than 4in of rain, the heaviest total reported so far along the Gulf Coast.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the entire Mississippi and Alabama coasts with the possibility Gordon would become a Category 1 storm.

The National Hurricane Centre predicted a “life-threatening” storm surge of 3ft to 5ft along parts of the central Gulf Coast.

Flooding is also a risk. Up to 8in of rain could fall in some parts through to late Thursday as the tropical weather moves inland towards Arkansas.

Governors in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana declared states of emergency to better mobilise state resources and National Guard troops.

Mississippi shut down a dozen Gulf Coast casinos, and at least 54 oil and gas production platforms were evacuated.

Gordon spawned multiple possible tornadoes as it came ashore.

The National Weather Service issued several tornado warnings in south Alabama and the Florida Panhandle after radar indicated possible twisters associated with the storm.

There were no immediate damage reports.

The National Weather Service in Mobile also cautioned that the Styx River near Elsanor could reach moderate, and possibly major, flood stage later on Wednesday.