Louisiana braces for torrential rain, tornadoes and widespread flooding as Harvey hits landfall for the second time
Tropical storm Harvey came ashore just west of Cameron, Louisiana early on Wednesday bringing strong 45 mph winds
Forecasters said there was a risk of tornadoes across a large part of the South as Harvey trudged northeast toward northern Louisiana
Another 5 to 10 inches of rain is also predicted to fall in western Louisiana
Forecasters warn rivers won’t be able to drain effectively because Harvey’s winds are pushing in storm surge, aggravating already flooded areas
DailyMail.com
30 August 2017
Louisiana is bracing for torrential rain, tornadoes and widespread floods as tropical storm Harvey made its second landfall after dumping record rainfall on Texas.
The storm came ashore just west of Cameron in Louisiana early Wednesday, bringing maximum sustained winds near 45 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Harvey had lingered over Texas for days before meandering back into the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters said there was a risk of tornadoes across a large part of the South as Harvey trudged northeast toward northern Louisiana.
The national Storm Prediction Center said a few tornadoes were expected to develop Wednesday in northeast Louisiana and across southern and central portions of Mississippi. Tornadoes would also be possible across parts of southern and central Alabama, near the eastern edge of Harvey’s rain bands.
Forecasters had initially predicted up to 10 inches of rain to fall in western Louisiana but updated on Wednesday to say there could be up to 6 inches.
National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Erickson said the heaviest rains are likely to be in west central Louisiana, well north of the coast.
Erickson says at least five tornadoes have been confirmed in Louisiana since the tropical system began.
‘We are starting to get down to the end of the tunnel of all this rain,’ Erickson said.
Erickson warns that some coastal rivers won’t be able to drain effectively because Harvey’s winds are pushing in storm surge, aggravating flooding in areas already drenched by more than 20 inches of rain. Gusts up to 50 mph are predicted for coastal areas and up to 40 mph in Lake Charles and along the Interstate 10 corridor.
The strong winds were causing power outages in southwest Louisiana with Entergy Corp reporting about 5,000 customers without power in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes. Beauregard Electric was reporting that about 2,700 of the cooperative’s customers had seen their electricity cut.
Cameron Parish’s Office of Emergency Preparedness said a curfew was in effect until the threat had passed and checkpoints have been set up at entry points into evacuated areas.
State offices in 28 parishes and most Baton Rouge area schools won’t open Wednesday in anticipation of possible severe weather. Gov. John Bel Edwards urged people to remain alert but said the state is responding well to less severe conditions in its own borders.
‘You never know what Mother Nature is going to throw at us, but with the people in this room, I’m confident we can handle it,’ he told local and state officials during a visit Tuesday to Lake Charles, which is near the Texas border.
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