Latest public advisory from the National Hurricane Center:
At 1:00 pm CDT, the center of Tropical Storm Barry was located near latitude 28.4 North, longitude 90.6 West. Barry is moving toward the west-northwest near 5 MPH. A motion toward the northwest is expected to begin later today, followed by a turn toward the north Saturday night. On the forecast track, the center of Barry will approach the central or southeastern coast of Louisiana through tonight and then make landfall over the central Louisiana coast on Saturday. After landfall, Barry is expected to move generally northward through the Mississippi Valley through Sunday.
Reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds are near 65 MPH with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast before landfall, and Barry is expected to be a hurricane when the center reaches the Louisiana coast. Weakening is expected after Barry moves inland.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles from the center. The NOAA automated station at the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River recently reported sustained winds of 55 MPH and a wind gust of 66 MPH at an elevation of 125 feet. An oil rig located southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River recently reported sustained winds of 76 MPH and a wind gust of 87 MPH at an elevation of 295 feet.
The minimum central pressure just reported by the Hurricane Hunter aircraft is 993 MB or 29.32 inches.
CURRENT WATCHES, WARNINGS, & ADVISORIES
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Intracoastal City to Grand Isle.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the mouth of the Pearl River to Grand Isle, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas (including metropolitan New Orleans), and Intracoastal City to Cameron.
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for Intracoastal City to Biloxi and Lake Pontchartrain.
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from Biloxi to the Mississippi/Alabama border.
A Hurricane Watch is in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Grand Isle, and Intracoastal City to Cameron.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from east of the Mouth of the Pearl River to the Mississippi/Alabama border.
KEY MESSAGES FOR BARRY
1. There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation along the coast of southern and southeastern Louisiana, portions of Lake Pontchartrain, and portions of coastal Mississippi where a Storm Surge Warning is in effect. Water levels are already beginning to rise in these areas, with the peak inundation expected on Saturday. The highest storm surge inundation is expected between Intracoastal City and Shell Beach. Here are some forecast storm surge totals:
Mouth of the Atchafalaya River to Shell Beach: 3 to 6 feet
Shell Beach to Biloxi MS: 3 to 5 feet
Intracoastal City to the Mouth of the Atchafalaya River: 3 to 5 feet
Lake Pontchartrain: 3 to 5 feet
Biloxi MS to the Mississippi/Alabama border: 2 to 4 feet
Lake Maurepas: 1 to 3 feet
2. The slow movement of Barry will result in a long duration heavy rainfall and flood threat along the central Gulf Coast, across portions of the Lower Mississippi Valley and north into the Tennessee Valley through the weekend into early next week. Flash flooding and river flooding will become increasingly likely, some of which may be life-threatening, especially across portions of southeast Louisiana into Mississippi.
Barry is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 10 to 20 inches over south-central and southeast Louisiana along with southwest Mississippi, with isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches. Over the remainder of the Lower Mississippi Valley, total rain accumulations of 4 to 8 inches are expected, with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches.
3. Hurricane conditions are expected along a portion of the coast of Louisiana, where a Hurricane Warning is in effect. Tropical storm conditions are expected elsewhere along much of the Louisiana coast and inland across portions of south-central Louisiana where tropical storm warnings are in effect.
Central Alabama Weather 