LOUISIANA — Hurricane warning issued for parts of Louisiana coast ahead of Tropical Storm Barry's arrival, according to the Associated Press.
The storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to make landfall late Friday night into early Saturday morning as a Category 1 hurricane along the Louisiana Coast.
Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Brad Nitz said the storm could drop 10 to 20 inches of rain on parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Storm surge will also be a concern in southeastern Louisiana, including New Orleans.
Nitz said winds are currently at 40 mph and the storm is strengthening as it moves west.
Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Katie Walls said storm surge and flooding rainfall are bigger concerns than winds with this system.
Mandatory evacuations are underway for some coastal residents.
We're using powerful weather technology to continuously track the storms as it churns in the ocean, for Channel 2 Action News
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Hurricane and tropical storm watches have been posted along the Louisiana coast.
American, Delta, jetBlue, United and Southwest airlines are issuing travel waivers Passengers traveling through select airports in the Gulf Coast may change flights without fees.
Carnival Cruise Line says it rerouted a cruise ship headed to New Orleans because of the potential tropical storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. The Miami-based company says the more than 3,700-passenger Carnival Valor was sent to Mobile, Alabama, in the interest of safety. A company statement notes that coastal Louisiana is under a hurricane watch and water levels are high on the Mississippi River.
Moisture from the system will make its way to parts of Georgia, bringing higher humidity, cloudy skies and increased rain chances.