The first tropical system to slam the US this year lashed parts of the Deep South with heavy rains Thursday morning as it spins through the Gulf of Mexico.

More than 4 million people are under flash flood watches from south-central Louisiana to the western Florida panhandle as the system moves over the warm waters, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said.

If it reaches winds of 39 mph, it will officially become Tropical Storm Barry and could intensify into a Category 1 hurricane by late Friday. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 30 mph Thursday, and is expected to make landfall along the Louisiana or upper Texas coast Saturday.

But even before it reaches tropical storm status, it’ll deluge the Gulf Coast region with heavy rains, leading to flash flooding that could cause the Mississippi River to rise to dangerous levels.

Southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, along with the western Florida Panhandle, will especially get drenched Thursday, Brink said.

Governors to residents: Prepare and stock up

As the tropical system strengthens, regional leaders are urging people in the area not to get caught off guard.

“Begin preparing your property, your supplies, your lines of communication to your family members,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. “Begin preparing to know exactly where you need to go if you need to evacuate.”

The governor said the state has high-water rescue boat squads ready to help, CNN affiliate KEYE reported.

In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency and asked residents to have a contingency plan for family and pets. About 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall within 24 hours between Friday and Saturday, he said.

“This is going to be a Louisiana event with coastal flooding and heavy rainfall potentially impacting every part of the state,” he said. “No one should take this storm lightly. As we know all too well in Louisiana, low intensity does not necessarily mean low impact.”

New Orleans got a taste of the tropical system after it spawned its first tornado warning and flash flood emergency in the area Wednesday. It dumped up to 9 inches of rain in parts of the city, flooding streets, homes and hotel lobbies.

The slow-moving storm was crawling at 9 mph Thursday morning, and was 125 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, the National Hurricane Center said.

That means it could hover over the same place for long time, dumping rain relentlessly. Storm surge, hurricane force winds and extensive flooding are forecast in the Gulf Coast region into the weekend.

The potential storm surge has prompted the National Weather Service to warn that the Mississippi River could crest at 20 feet in New Orleans, or 1.3 feet below the record. The city is protected to a height of 20 feet.

Louisiana officials started closing flood gates over concerns that the storm surge could cause additional flooding. More than 200 flood gates in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes are expected to be closed by Friday, local media reported. </s> How are you preparing for Tropical Storm Barry? When it's safe, you can text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN at +1 347-322-0415

(CNN) Samantha Kincaid was forced to evacuate during Hurricane Gustav in 2008, her first year in New Orleans. Now, she's leaving again.

This week's widespread flooding in New Orleans ahead of a slow-moving storm system made her uneasy, she told CNN in a Facebook message.

"Being stuck in the flood and then waiting for the waters to go down was a real wake up call," said Kincaid, who made plans Thursday to head to west to Lafayette. "I was lucky to not have my car stall out."

As a dangerous weather system spinning toward the Gulf coast intensified Thursday to become Tropical Storm Barry, some Louisiana residents aren't taking any chances and are choosing to evacuate. Others say they plan to ride the storm out.

Barry is the first tropical storm to threaten the United States this year. The forecast shows it as a tropical storm at landfall, possibly by Saturday morning on the Louisiana coast, probably west of New Orleans. There is a significant chance that Barry could be a hurricane, with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour, when it makes landfall.

But it's not the wind that makes this storm so treacherous. It's the colossal rainfall and massive storm surge.

"This is a life-threatening situation," the National Hurricane Center said. Those in the storm's path should "take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions."

Streets in New Orleans turned into lakes after getting pummeled with up to 9 inches of rain Wednesday -- a day before the system was declared a tropical storm.

The Broadmoor neighborhood in New Orleans was flooded Wednesday.

Whether to stay or whether to go

Claire Hartley Grogan of New Orleans said she too was preparing to evacuate. She will probably head toward Florida and have a "hurrication."

The Mississippi River was too high, and she was scared to stay.

"My entire life, I have lived blocks from the Mississippi River and not been scared. Today, and for the last month or so, [I] have been terrified," she said.

Pamela Hughes said she will ride out the storm in her mother's trailer in Port Sulphur, south of New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish, which is under a mandatory evacuation order.

But Hughes said she knows the risk and is staying, even though the trailer isn't on high ground.

"I really don't think it's going to be too bad," she said.

Hughes says she's prepared with gas, food and water. She said the levels of the Mississippi River near Port Sulphur, and the nearby bayou, look low to her.

But Hughes said she evacuated her mother, who has breast cancer and recently got out of the hospital.

As of late Thursday, Barry was hurling winds of 50 mph in the Gulf of Mexico, but it's expected to continue to intensify, the National Hurricane Center said.

Because Barry is a slow-moving storm -- crawling across the Gulf at just 3 mph -- it will hover over the same places for a long time, dropping relentless rain and adding to widespread flooding.

The National Hurricane Center issued hurricane warnings for the Louisiana coast from Intracoastal City to Grand Isle.

The mayor and town council in Grand Isle, on a barrier island the Gulf of Mexico, ordered everyone to evacuate Thursday.

"We are expecting a rain fall total that can range from 6" to 10"," they said in a statement. "We will be experiencing unusual high tides that will range more than 3 feet above ground."

Baton Rouge, which is northwest of New Orleans, is expected to get 10 to 15 inches of rain. Resident Rusty Miller said that his experience with previous storm evacuations taught him to hunker down and hope the electricity stays on. He is staying put for now. But this time, he said, he's worried about flooding.

"As long as this thing doesn't stall, we should be fine," Miller said.

Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle are also at risk for extreme rain, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said Thursday.

An unprecedented challenge

Barry will inundate Louisiana at a terrible time: when rivers like the Mississippi are already extremely high.

"This is the 258th day of a flood fight on the Mississippi River," Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday.

Unusually high river levels will lead to an unprecedented challenge when Barry makes landfall.

"This is the first time we've had a tropical system with water levels on the river this high," said Jeffrey Graschel, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service's Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center.

In New Orleans, the Mississippi River was more than 16 feet high on Thursday. At this time of year, it should be more like 6 to 8 feet, Graschel said.

In the coming days, the river could crest at 19 feet, 1 foot lower than previously forecast. But the bloated river is still risky, because New Orleans is protected only to a height of 20 feet.

In preparation for the onslaught, Louisiana officials have started closing floodgates. The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority has about 250 floodgates, spokesman Antwan Harris said.

More than 200 floodgates in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes are expected to be closed by Friday to protect the area from the expected storm surge, local media reported.

Louisiana's governor warned that "no one should take this storm lightly," as 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall within 24 hours between Friday and Saturday.

The governor sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting a federal declaration of emergency as the storm approached.

He also declared a state of emergency and urged residents to have a contingency plan for family and pets.

The US Postal Service temporarily relocated operations to other parts of the state due to mandatory evacuations.

'The calm before the storm'

In one part of New Orleans, some residents have remained calm.

Heather Cafarella, a bartender at R Bar, said people didn't appear to be panicking. She asking each other if they're going to evacuate is almost like asking "how's the weather?"

"It's not just the hurricane. We flood when there's heavy rain. It doesn't take much, unfortunately," Cafarella, 41, said.

She glanced outside at a sunny, dry street. "The calm before the storm is so deceiving," she said. </s> Louisiana authorities are urging residents not to underestimate the danger and destruction Tropical Storm Barry threatens as it nears the coast Friday.

“Look, there are three ways that Louisiana floods: storm surge, high rivers and rain. We’re going to have all three,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday in a news conference.

Barry is getting stronger as it creeps across the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters en route to a landfall expected early Saturday in Louisiana.

While it could reach hurricane strength, the real peril it poses to roughly 10 million people in its path is rain, which could quickly trigger unprecedented flooding.

Ten to 15 more inches of rain are on the way, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said, threatening to inundate ground already soaked from a Wednesday storm that flooded some New Orleans homes and businesses.

Meantime, another risk looms in the Mississippi River. Usually at 6 to 8 feet this time of year around the Big Easy, the river is at 16 feet after a year of record flooding, and Barry could push in a storm surge of 2 to 3 feet.

Officials are “confident that there will not be overtopping of the levees in New Orleans,” Edwards told CNN Friday. Still, the unusual confluence of factors is rattling nerves along the “sliver by the river,” a swath of relatively high ground along the Mississippi that’s less likely to flood in typical rain and hurricane storm surge events than other areas.

At 8 a.m. ET Friday, Barry was 95 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. About 800,000 people are under a hurricane warning along the Louisiana coast from south of Lafayette to south of New Orleans.

Barry is the first storm of the 2019 season to approach the United States.

Stocking up or moving out

President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency for Louisiana, where officials activated 3,000 National Guard members in anticipation of the destruction Barry might bring, the governor said.

“Heed the warnings,” he told CNN’s John Berman on Friday morning, pointing out that fatalities often happen when motorists try to drive through floodwater.

“It’s deeper than they believe it to be, and also there’s current that sometimes is imperceptible,” Edwards said. “We need individuals to not drive through standing water.”

While some in low-lying places have been directed to evacuate, officials haven’t ordered mandatory evacuations in the most populated areas.

Many residents aren’t eager to endure the expense and effort of leaving, compared with what could be a few uncomfortable hours or days without power. Many also want to stay home so they can bail water if it rises, then dry out floors and drywall as soon as it recedes.

Pamela Hughes will ride out the storm in her mother’s trailer in Port Sulphur, which is under a mandatory evacuation order, she said.

“I really don’t think it’s going to be too bad,” she told CNN.

Others, including Kristopher Williams, are staying behind to protect their pets and their belongings.

“Everything I own is in it,” he said of his truck. “I’m not an ignorant person. I know the dangers. I also know how to get out of just about any bind I encounter.”

As others head to higher ground, Chef José Andrés’ nonprofit World Central Kitchen announced Thursday it would set up kitchens in Lafayette and New Orleans ahead of the storm.

New Orleans’ network of drainage pumps, underground pipes and canals were overwhelmed earlier this week by rain. And though water piled up briefly on some streets, the storm was a good test of the drainage system, Edwards said.

“It performed well,” he said, adding, “you never know exactly what Mother Nature’s going to throw at you. … But I’m confident that New Orleans is going to weather this storm (Barry) in pretty good fashion.”

Flooding concerns are not limited to Louisiana. Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle are also at risk for extreme rain, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said Thursday.

Mobile, Alabama, can expect heavy rain that may lead to flash flooding, as well as a high risk of rip currents and a surf up to 8 feet, the National Weather Service tweeted early Friday.

The Florida Panhandle has seen double red flags go up in some areas, closing beaches, the weather service said.

The Mississippi Delta Region is also at risk for tornadoes beginning Friday evening. </s> NEW ORLEANS — The Latest on tropical weather (all times local):

The National Weather Service has extended the tropical storm warning on the Gulf Coast eastward to the Alabama-Florida border.

Forecasters Tuesday night increased the warning ahead of Tropical Storm Cindy to include Lake Pontchartrain and the New Orleans metro area.

The storm was about 230 miles (370 kilometres) south of Morgan City, Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (97 kph). It was moving northwest at 7 mph (11 kph) and forecast to continue along that track before turning to the north Wednesday night.

Not much change in strength is expected Wednesday, with slight weakening beginning Thursday.

The National Weather Service says Tropical Storm Cindy is centred about 350 miles (563.24 kilometres) southeast of Galveston, Texas. Maximum sustained winds were clocked Tuesday evening at 45 mph (75 kph) and the storm has been nearly stationary in recent hours. A tropical storm warning has been issued for the Gulf Coast from San Luis Pass, at the western end of Galveston Island, to the mouth of the Pearl River, where the Louisiana-Mississippi border meets the Gulf of Mexico.

Forecasts say the storm could produce overall rainfall of 6-9 inches (15-23 cms) with isolated amounts of up to 12 inches (30 cms) in spots in southeastern Louisiana and southern parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday.

A tropical storm warning was expanded to a wider area Tuesday afternoon, now extending from San Luis Pass, Texas, to the mouth of the Pearl River on the Mississippi-Louisiana line.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the State Operations Center to raise its readiness level as Tropical Storm Cindy approached the Gulf Coast.

The centre’s readiness would be raised from level four/normal conditions to level three/increased readiness as of noon Wednesday. Also, Abbott has activated four Texas Task Force 1 boat squads and two Texas Military Department vehicles squads of five vehicles each to respond to any weather-related emergencies.

Abbott also put on standby the Emergency Medical Task Force of the Department of State health Services, as well as Texas Military Forces aircraft and shelter and feeding teams.

A voluntary evacuation notice has been issued for those with medical and other special needs on the Bolivar Peninsula, between Galveston and High Island, Texas. The National Weather Service advises that services may be limited for those on the peninsula around high tide from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning.

Tropical Storm Cindy is meandering over the central Gulf of Mexico, and forecasters warn that it’s dumping heavy rains that could trigger life-threatening flash floods.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Cindy was located at 4 p.m. CDT Tuesday about 280 miles (450 kilometres) south of Morgan City, Louisiana — or about 360 miles (575 kilometres) southeast of Galveston, Texas. Maximum sustained winds were clocked at 45 mph (75 kph) and the storm has been nearly stationary in recent hours.

Forecasts say the storm could produce overall rainfall of 6-9 inches (15-23 cms) with isolated amounts of up to 12 inches (30 cms) in spots in southeastern Louisiana and southern parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday.

A tropical storm warning was expanded to a wider area Tuesday afternoon, now extending from San Luis Pass, Texas to the mouth of the Pearl River on the Mississippi-Louisiana line.

Louisiana’s emergency preparedness office says it is co-ordinating with local officials and readying resources in advance of Tropical Storm Cindy’s threat of heavy rain and flash flooding.

Gov. John Bel Edwards says the advance notice of the storm gives officials time to put emergency plans in place.

Louisiana was slammed with major flooding last summer from an unnamed storm that heavily damaged the Baton Rouge and Lafayette regions.

Cindy formed Tuesday from a system that had been developing in the Gulf.

The Louisiana National Guard has moved high water vehicles and helicopters into areas that could flood. The state says FEMA is moving 125,000 meals and 200,000 litres of water into Louisiana.

Edwards is encouraging Louisiana residents to monitor local media and check http://www.GetAGamePlan.org to ready for the storm.

Some Gulf Coast residents are bracing for heavy rain and possible flooding from Tropical Storm Cindy.

Larry Godfrey, who owns the Escatawpa (Ess-kuh-TAW’-puh) Hollow Campground in Alabama, near the state line with Mississippi, says the Escatawpa River is already high from rainfall, and he expects his campground will flood.

National Weather Service forecasters are warning of the possibility of more than 10 inches of rain for an area between Biloxi, Mississippi and Mobile, Alabama, by Friday morning.

City and county governments on Mississippi’s coast are handing out sandbags. Jackson County Emergency Management Coordinator Donald Langham says rainfall-induced flooding appears to be the main danger from Cindy.

Godfrey and his wife live in a house on stilts, but he says water could get under his house. He says he will shut off power to campsites and tie up picnic tables.

Tropical Storm Cindy has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and is threatening to spread heavy rain across a wide area of the central Gulf coast.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the storm is centred about 265 miles (430 kilometres) south of Morgan City, Louisiana — or about 355 miles (565 kilometres) southeast of Galveston, Texas. Cindy has top sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and the storm is presently stationary in the Gulf. It says Cindy acquired a well-defined centre on Tuesday afternoon, becoming the third tropical storm of 2017.

The centre say Cindy is expected to reach the Louisiana coast sometime late Wednesday and then move inland over western Louisiana and eastern Texas on Thursday. Forecasters say rain totalling 6 to 9 inches in areas and up to 12 inches in some spots pose a threat to southern portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday.

Forecasters say a tropical storm warning is in effect from High Island on the upper Texas coast all the way to the mouth of the Pearl River at the state line of Louisiana and Mississippi. A tropical storm watch is in effect elsewhere on the Texas coast from west of High Island to San Luis Pass.

Coastal residents are feeling the effects of a severe storm system that’s churning in the Gulf of Mexico.

Police say flooding already is being reported on Dauphin Island south of Mobile, Alabama. The main road leading to the island’s narrow western end is partially covered with water, and the city is moving vehicles and equipment to higher ground.

Red flags are flying on the main public beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a warning for people to stay out of the water. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency Tuesday morning because of the flooding threat.

Bands of heavy rain are coming through as far east as the Florida Panhandle.

Coastal Louisiana and Texas are under a tropical storm warning, and forecasters say the Alabama and Mississippi coasts could get as much as 15 inches (38 centimetres) of rain by Thursday night.

Forecasters say a tropical storm warning has now been extended further westward for a disturbance in the central Gulf and it now covers an area from High Island, Texas, to the mouth of the Pearl River between Louisiana and Mississippi.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami also says the biggest threat from the disturbance is the likely heavy rainfall over wide areas of the northern rim of the Gulf of Mexico.

At 11 a.m. EDT, the centre said disturbance No. 3 was centred about 265 miles (430 kilometre) south of Morgan City, Louisiana — or about 355 miles (565 kilometres southeast of Galveston, Texas. It’s maximum sustained winds are at 40 mph (65 kph) and the storm is moving toward the northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).

The tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere in the warning area in the next 24 to 36 hours.

A tropical storm watch is also in effect on the upper Texas coast from west of High Island to San Luis Pass.

Forecasters say the Alabama and Mississippi coasts could be inundated with as much as 15 inches (38 centimetres)of rain from a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico.

The heaviest rains are expected in an area that includes the port city of Mobile, Alabama, and the cities of Pascagoula and Biloxi in Mississippi. The forecast shows an even wider area from southeastern Louisiana into the western Florida Panhandle could receive as much as 10 inches (25 centimetres)of rain over three days.

The National Weather Service issued an expanded flash flood watch for the area Tuesday, and forecasters say the flooding threat will continue through Thursday night.

Coastal Louisiana is under a tropical storm warning. The National Hurricane Center says the storm is expected to move inshore early Thursday near the Louisiana-Texas line before weakening and moving northeastward in a sweeping arc.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for a section of Louisiana’s coast as a weather system approaches from the Gulf of Mexico.

The warning is in effect from Cameron, Louisiana, to Intracoastal City.

The system’s maximum sustained winds early Tuesday are near 40 mph (64 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says some slight strengthening is possible before the system reaches the coast, either late Wednesday or Wednesday night.

As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, the system is centred about 305 miles (490 kilometres) south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River and is moving northwest near 8 mph (13 kph).

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Bret is moving along South America’s northern coast. Its maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph (64 kph) with weakening expected to begin later in the day. </s> The latest on a tropical weather system in the Gulf of Mexico (all times local):

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has asked the Trump administration for a federal declaration of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Barry’s expected landfall late Friday or early Saturday along the state’s coast.

In a letter Thursday to President Donald Trump, Edwards asks that the state receive supplementary federal resources as soon as possible should they be needed. His letter notes that in the past 24 hours, 28 parishes have issued emergency declarations and 14 are in the process of completing such declarations.

Edwards says it is necessary that critical pre-positioning be provided through federal assistance.

Meanwhile, the Louisiana National Guard says Edwards has authorized activating up to 3,000 soldiers and airmen ahead of the storm. Officials say high-water vehicles and boats have been staged and helicopters are ready to support as needed.

A hurricane warning has been issued for parts of the Louisiana coast ahead of Tropical Storm Barry’s arrival.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued the warning Thursday afternoon for the Louisiana coast from Intracoastal City to Grand Isle. A tropical storm warning is in effect for other areas including the New Orleans metro area.

Barry is currently a tropical storm with winds of about 40 mph (65 kph), and was offshore about 90 miles (145 km) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Forecasters say the storm is likely to become a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall Friday or early Saturday.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is telling people in the southern part of the state to be prepared for heavy rain from Tropical Storm Barry as it pushes northward through the Gulf of Mexico.

The agency says people in low-lying areas should have a plan to evacuate before waters rise.

Forecasters say the storm could become a hurricane and make landfall in Louisiana. Effects could be felt in Mississippi by early Friday.

MEMA says there’s the potential for storm surge greater than 3 feet (1 meter) on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the south and central parts of the state could have heavy rainfall and flooding.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says authorities don’t expect the Mississippi River to overflow levees as Tropical Storm Barry moves toward the Gulf Coast.

At a Thursday news conference, the governor said high water forecasts for the river have gone down slightly but a change in the storm’s direction or intensity could renew the possibility of the levees being topped by a river already swollen by heavy rains and snow melt.

Forecasters say Barry could hit Louisiana as a weak hurricane over the weekend. Edwards said it would be the first time a hurricane made landfall in Louisiana when the Mississippi River was already at flood stage.

The mayor of New Orleans says the city’s water pumps are “working at optimal capacity” as Tropical Storm Barry moves toward the state’s Gulf coast.

But speaking at a Thursday news conference, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell added that flooding is a threat because slow-moving, heavy rains are expected from the storm.

National Weather Service meteorologist says New Orleans could get 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some isolated areas could see 20 inches (50 centimeters).

Barry could hit Louisiana as a weak hurricane over the weekend.

Tropical Storm Barry has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and forecasters say it could become a hurricane as it threatens Louisiana’s coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm’s maximum sustained winds Thursday morning are near 40 mph (64 kph) with additional strengthening expected during the next day or two.

A tropical storm warning is now in effect for the Louisiana coast from the mouth of the Pearl River to Morgan City.

Plaquemines (PLAK-uh-minz) Parish spokeswoman Jade Duplessis says about 8,000 to 10,000 parish residents are under a mandatory evacuation order as a potential tropical storm brews in the Gulf of Mexico and half of them may need help.

All of the parish’s east bank and part of its west bank are under mandatory evacuation orders.

The parish government has set up pickup points on both sides of the Mississippi River. From there, school buses will take people to a registration point and then to evacuation centers.

Duplessis says cats and dogs will be taken in separate vehicles and if owners don’t have their own travel crates, the parish will provide them.

The evacuation order took effect at 6 a.m. Thursday. Duplessis says officials hope everyone is out by Friday afternoon.

The disturbance in the Gulf is expected to develop into a tropical storm late Thursday and could hit southern Louisiana as a weak hurricane this weekend.

The mayor of a barrier island town on Louisiana’s coast has ordered a mandatory evacuation as a potential tropical storm brews in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mayor David Camardelle’s order takes effect at noon Thursday on Grand Isle, which is accessible only by boat or a single flood-prone state highway.

Other low-lying areas of coastal Louisiana including the towns of Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria also came under evacuation orders Thursday.

That follows similar orders Wednesday for parts of Plaquemines Parish,. The Mississippi River runs through the parish and could overtop some levees.

The disturbance in the Gulf is expected to develop into a tropical storm late Thursday and could hit southern Louisiana as a weak hurricane this weekend.

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.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson tweeted a welcome to Valor passengers and a photo of the ship docked in Mobile on Thursday.

Carnival says arriving passengers will be taken from Mobile to New Orleans on complimentary buses.

The ship was supposed to depart Thursday from New Orleans on its next four-day cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. Instead, passengers will be taken to Mobile by bus from New Orleans.

A potential tropical storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico presents twin troubles for parts of southeast Louisiana.

It could contribute to the rising of an already high Mississippi River, with water reaching the tops of levees this weekend. And there is also the widespread danger of flash floods like the one that walloped New Orleans on Wednesday. Officials said that storm dumped as much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) in parts of the metro area in three hours.

The Gulf disturbance that spawned the floods was forecast to strengthen into a tropical storm by Thursday night.

Forecasters said Louisiana could see up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain by Monday. Some areas could get 18 inches (46 centimeters).

Mississippi and Texas were also at risk of torrential rains. </s> The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Cindy is heading toward the northern Gulf coast, where it is expected to make landfall in the coming hours.

The center said in an update at 1 p.m. CDT Wednesday that the storm was centered about 170 miles (270 kilometers) southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana — or roughly the same distance southeast of Galveston, Texas. Its sustained winds continue to top out at 50 mph (85 kph) and it’s moving closer to the coast at a rate of 9 mph (14 kph).

Forecasters say the storm is nearing the coast along a stretch between southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana. They add that little change in strength is expected before landfall but that it will weekend once it moves inland on Thursday.

Heavy rains associated with the storm are raising the possibility of life-threatening flash floods over a wide area of the coast.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is urging his state’s residents to take Tropical Storm Cindy seriously.

As of midday Wednesday, there were no reports of serious home or business flooding in Louisiana. But, at a news conference, Edwards noted that two unnamed storms slammed Louisiana last year with heavy flood devastation.

Strong rain bands from Cindy continued to sweep across the Gulf Coast. And authorities said dangers from flash floods, severe storms and possible tornadoes remained a danger. Edwards declared a state of emergency early Wednesday. And Plaquemines Parish on the southeast Louisiana coast declared an emergency at midday.

Cindy was expected to make landfall near the Louisiana-Texas state line Thursday.

Tropical Storm Cindy is pumping seawater into an area of the Mississippi-Louisiana coast that’s vulnerable to storm tide flooding.

Tides on Wednesday morning were 4 feet (1.2 meters) above normal in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and 5 feet (1.5 meters) above normal farther southwest, at Shell Beach, on Louisiana’s coast.

Bay St. Louis is in Hancock County, where Emergency Management Director Brian Adam says officials counted 355 roads with standing water early Wednesday. The low-lying southern half of the county is interlaced with inlets, bayous, rivers and canals. The county faces frequent tidal flooding. Adam says it happens five to 10 times a year.

Adam says he’s received no reports of flooded homes. Many homes in the county are elevated on stilts.

Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Cindy have caused flooding in low-lying areas along the Alabama coast.

Some roads were covered with water in the seafood village of Bayou La Batre, but Becca Caldemeyer still managed to get to her bait shop at the city dock. If only there were more customers, she said.

“It’s pretty quiet,” Caldemeyer said in a telephone interview from Rough Water Bait and Tackle. “Nobody can cast a shrimp out in this kind of wind.”

Police said streets were flooded on the barrier island of Dauphin Island, and the city closed beaches because of dangerously rough surf. Double red flags flew in Gulf Shores to warn people to stay out of the waves, yet live video feeds showed a few people still on the beach despite rain showers and high winds.

Baldwin and Mobile counties canceled summer classes because of the storm. Heavy rains fell as far north as central Alabama, and forecasters said the area could receive as much as 5 inches (120 millimeters) of rain.

Rain has slackened along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast after an overnight drenching, but not before a waterspout came ashore in Biloxi, causing minor damage.

Harrison County Emergency Management Director Rupert Lacy says the waterspout made landfall around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, causing damage to fences, trees and power lines. No one was hurt. One large live oak branch was downed on the grounds of Beauvoir, the historic home that once belonged to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport has reported more than 7 inches (180 mms) of rain since Tuesday morning.

Mississippi officials reported standing water on hundreds of roads after heavy rains, but Lacy says some flash flooding is receding for now, and no buildings have yet been reported as flooding. Coastal rivers are expected to leap their banks, though, as water runs off.

Forecasters say a slightly weakened Tropical Storm Cindy is threatening heavy rains and life-threatening flash flooding over a wide area of the northern Gulf Coast.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Cindy was located at 10 a.m. CDT Wednesday about 170 miles (270 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana — or about 180 miles (285 kilometers) southeast of Galveston, Texas. The storm has top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and is moving toward the northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).

Forecasters say a tropical storm warning has been discontinued for the greater New Orleans area and other areas north and east of the mouth of the Mississippi River. But the tropical storm warning remains in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi to San Luis Pass, Texas. Forecasters say the storm is expected to reach the coast of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas later Wednesday before moving inland.

Heavy rains are expected in southeast Texas, Louisiana, and southern areas of Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle through Thursday.

John Rickmon, a real estate broker in Pensacola, Florida, said he has been touring properties in the Panhandle area to see if they’ve been affected by rains from the tropical storm in the Gulf. He says some streets had water bubbling up from manhole covers.

“There’s nowhere for the water to go, so we’re seeing lots of ponding and lots of retention ponds that are right on the tipping point,” d Rickmon said. “We were saturated before this even started … I’m a bit concerned about what the next 24 hours will bring.”

Rickmon said he keeps a rain gauge at his house and it had already registered 8.5 inches (22 centimeters) before the most intense rains began.

Nearby, the National Park Service reported the bridge between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach was closed because of flooding.

Elsewhere in the Florida Panhandle, an emergency official reported downed trees and other damage — but no injuries — from severe weather caused by a passing storm cell. Okaloosa County Emergency Management spokesman Rob Brown said the damage was reported at several points in and around Fort Walton Beach in the county — but none of it was major structural damage.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Cindy’s landfall.

The governor’s spokesman Richard Carbo said Edwards signed the statewide declaration Wednesday morning.

The storm is moving closer to the Gulf Coast, where it threatens to bring a storm surge of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters).

Wednesday morning, the storm was centered about 165 miles (265 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, and is moving northwest near 8 mph (13 kph).

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Cindy is expected to approach the coast of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas late Wednesday or Wednesday night and move inland Thursday.

Much of Florida’s Panhandle remains under a tornado watch as Tropical Storm Cindy looms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Officials in Santa Rosa County, which is just east of Pensacola, tweeted that some roads were under water early Wednesday. They urged motorists to use caution if they are driving in the southern end of the county.

News outlets also reported several roads in neighboring Escambia County have been closed due to flooding.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for much of the region until 10 a.m. Wednesday. Forecasters say the area can expect heavy rain through Thursday as the tropical storm moves through Louisiana and Texas.

Tropical Storm Cindy is creating the threat of tornadoes along the northern Gulf Coast.

The National Weather Service says flash flooding from torrential rain is the main problem associated with the storm, but twisters are also possible.

Forecasters issued tornado warnings for the areas around Fort Walton Beach and Indian Pass in Florida after radar indicated possible tornadoes Wednesday morning.

A tornado watch covered the entire coast from southwestern Louisiana to near the Big Bend region of Florida.

Alabama’s main beaches are mostly empty as Cindy blows offshore, and Baldwin and Mobile counties canceled summer classes because of the storm.

Tropical Storm Cindy is moving closer to the Gulf Coast, where it threatens to bring a storm surge of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters).

As of 7 a.m. CDT Wednesday, the storm was centered about 165 miles (265 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, and is moving northwest near 8 mph (13 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Cindy is expected to approach the coast of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas late Wednesday or Wednesday night and move inland Thursday.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (96 kph).

The National Weather Service said early Wednesday that flash flood watches covered parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

Forecasters in Louisiana say Tropical Storm Cindy will bring the potential for a storm surge of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters) along the Gulf Coast.

The National Weather Service said early Wednesday that flash flood watches covered parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia as the storm trudged closer to the U.S. mainland.

The weather service has warned that the storm brings the threat of “life-threatening flash flooding.”

Rain bands began pushing ashore Tuesday even before the system reached tropical storm strength. It was stationary much of the day Tuesday but was on a lumbering track that would take its center toward southwestern Louisiana and eastern Texas by Wednesday morning.

But the heavy rains were on its east side, meaning the major rain threat stretched from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

Residents and officials along a stretch of the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle to eastern Texas are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Cindy.

The storm formed Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s expected to move slowly toward the Louisiana-Texas line. But the heaviest rain bands were to the east. And the National Weather Service says it poses a threat of dangerous flash flooding.

Forecasters say some areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida could see a foot of rain.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency Tuesday because of the threat of torrential dangerous high tides and rip currents. Other state and local officials along the coast were mulling similar declarations.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Louisiana residents are bracing for a possible hurricane as Tropical Storm Barry continues to threaten the state’s coast.

Mandatory evacuations were issued for parts of Louisiana on Thursday — specifically in Plaquemines Parish where — as of Thursday morning — 8,000 to 10,000 parish residents were under a mandatory evacuation order, spokeswoman Jade Duplessis said.

Barry, which is the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by late Friday and make landfall by early Saturday along the Louisiana coast.

The National Weather Service also warned flooding is a threat as New Orleans could get 10 to 15 inches of rain Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some isolated areas could see 20 inches. Storm surges watches and warnings are also in effect for various areas along the coast.

Read on for a look at the storm’s expected path and other information.

Where is Tropical Storm Barry now?

The National Hurricane Center said in a 1:00 p.m. update on Thursday that the slow-moving storm is located about 90 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It noted the storm is “moving slowly westward across the northern Gulf of Mexico,” and warned “dangerous storm surge, heavy rains and wind conditions [are] expected across the north-central Gulf Coast.”

As of that same time, Tropical Storm Barry had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.

How is the state preparing?

On Wednesday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency for all of Louisiana.

"This is going to be a Louisiana event with coastal flooding and widespread, heavy rainfall potentially impacting every part of the state,” Edwards said in a statement. “No one should take this storm lightly. As we know all too well in Louisiana, low intensity does not necessarily mean low impact.”

The governor also encouraged residents to “check [their] emergency supplies and get a game plan for [their] family and pets. He also urged residents to monitor local media for “weather developments and follow the directions of local officials.”

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New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the city's water pumps are "working at optimal capacity" as Tropical Storm Barry moves toward the state's Gulf coast. That said, at a Thursday news conference, she added that flooding is a threat because slow-moving, heavy rains are expected from the storm.

“We cannot pump our way out of the water levels ... that are expected to hit the city of New Orleans,” she warned.

Fox News' Travis Fedschun and The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> After pounding South Florida with heavy rain and strong winds Monday, Tropical Storm Gordon is gaining strength and taking aim at the Gulf Coast.

The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning from the mouth of the Pearl River, which separates southern Mississippi from the easternmost part of Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border.

Gordon formed into a tropical storm near the Florida Keys early Monday as it headed west-northwest at 17 mph. The storm is expected to reach hurricane strength when it hits the Gulf Coast by late Tuesday night. From there, it is forecast to move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.

Rolling past the west coast of Florida, some 95 miles from Fort Myers by 8 p.m. EDT, Gordon had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. The storm is expected to gather strength while making its way through the Gulf of Mexico.

Parts of the Gulf Coast could get up to eight inches of rain through Thursday.

The hurricane center also issued a storm surge warning, meaning possible "danger of life-threatening inundation,'' for late Tuesday for the area stretching from Shell Beach, Louisiana, to Dauphin Island, Alabama.

“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves,” the center said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Monday and said 200 National Guard troops will be deployed to the southeastern part of the state.

Although Louisiana lies just outside the hurricane warning area, authorities in New Orleans issued a voluntary evacuation order for areas outside the city’s levee protection system, including the Venetian Isles, Lake Saint Catherine and Irish Bayou areas.

Strong wind gusts, battering waves, above-normal tides, minor coastal flooding, flash flooding and a couple of isolated tornadoes and waterspouts will be the main threats from the storm, AccuWeather said.

Parts of the northern Gulf Coast could see 3-6 inches of rainfall Tuesday into Wednesday, from southeast Louisiana into far southern Mississippi and far southern Alabama, according to the Weather Channel. Localized totals of six inches or more are possible in some areas.

The storm should make landfall with winds of about 60 mph. However, it could still reach hurricane status, which would be 74 mph, AccuWeather said.

"Any strong tropical storm has the potential to strengthen to a hurricane even when that storm may only spend a day or two over warm waters," AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

Miami Beach police said via Twitter that the Labor Day holiday was “NOT a beach day” because of rough surf and potential rip currents. Red flags flew over Pensacola-area beaches in Florida’s Panhandle, where swimming and wading in the Gulf of Mexico were prohibited.

The weather delivered a blow to businesses during the holiday weekend.

Jenna Wright, owner of a coffee shop in Naples, Florida, told the Naples Daily News that she expected higher numbers for the Labor Day weekend.

“This is normally a decent weekend, but the storm and red tide aren’t helping,” Wright said. “We’re a beach coffee shop, and if people can’t go to the beach, then we won’t get any customers.”

Gordon is the seventh named tropical storm or hurricane to form in the Atlantic basin this year.

Tropical Storm Florence continues to spin in the central Atlantic Ocean, about 2,700 miles from Miami. Florence will rotate harmlessly in the central Atlantic this week but could pose a threat to Bermuda and/or the U.S. East Coast in the next six to 12 days, according to Weather Underground meteorologist Bob Henson. </s> If there is one thing you need to know about Tropical Storm Barry, it is this: The storm bearing down on Louisiana is forecast to be a flooding disaster.

Basically every aspect of the setup for Barry is lined up to unleash multiple types of flooding that could last for days on end, potentially placing the flooding on par with Hurricanes Florence and Harvey. The Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana is covered in a panoply of flood warnings from the National Weather Service. The variety and extent could expand in the coming days as Barry gathers strength and its path becomes more clear.

The reason for Barry’s prolific flood forecast has very little to do with its official strength. While the category it reaches on the Saffir-Simpson scale as its winds speed up will be the primary way Barry is defined meteorologically, the rainfall and storm surge will define how much damage this storm does.

Rain, which is expected to begin in earnest on Saturday, is the biggest concern, with Barry forecast to drop 10-15 inches of rain over a wide area of Louisiana and Mississippi and locally higher amounts of 20 inches or more possible. That would be bad news enough. An unnamed storm dumped more than 20 inches of rain across a large portion of Louisiana in August 2016, causing $10 billion in damage. Baton Rouge was particularly hard-hit as rain hammered the state capital.

Barry may not match the exact rainfall totals from that storm, which topped 31 inches, but the rain that does fall will do so on already swollen rivers and soggy land that can’t hold an iota more water. That can lead to two types of flooding: your standard but still terrible standing water floods, and flash floods with rushing water that can wash away cars, people, and infrastructure in their path. Both already racked New Orleans and the surrounding area on Wednesday, which is in part why everything is so soggy ahead of Barry.



The timing of Barry is also particularly bad from a river flood perspective. The Mississippi River is still shuttling record-setting spring floodwater from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico. The high state of the river coupled with an approaching hurricane “would be the first time we’ve had the hurricane hit the state with rising rivers” according to a tweet from Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.

“Hurricanes/tropical storms usually impact Louisiana later in the season,” Hal Needham, a hurricane expert and founder of Marine Weather and Climate, told Earther in an email. “Barry is arriving earlier and encountering Mississippi River levels that are high.”

Any rain that falls will engorge the river further, and could threaten to overtop levees in New Orleans. If that happens—or if a levee fails—the result would be catastrophic for the city. And that brings us to yet another type of flood the Gulf Coast could see. As floodwaters rush down rivers and creeks toward the Gulf of Mexico, they’ll run into a wall of saltwater trying to come up as Barry plows inland.

Barry’s storm surge is expected to be relatively minor compared to, say, Hurricane Michael from last year, because the storm is likely to be smaller and less organized, according to Needham. But Barry will raise water levels along the coast and push at least some surge inland, essentially damming freshwater coming downstream in place and leading to something known as compound flooding. Something similar happened during Hurricane Florence last year where water levels stayed elevated even after the storm had passed.

“Even if a community is not flooded by saltwater, elevated salt water levels along the coast can contribute to flooding by slowing the drainage process,” Needham said.

This whole setup also neatly illustrates how climate change and the way we’ve developed can create overlapping risks that will only increase in the coming decades. Heavy precipitation events like the ones that inundated the Midwest this spring and are now clogging the Mississippi River in Louisiana are becoming more common in every corner of the U.S. The warmer atmosphere human carbon pollution has created simply holds more water, leading to more prolific downpours. While no research has been done to attribute any aspect of Barry to climate change, the expected heavy rain also certainly fits that pattern. And attribution research for Harvey two years ago showed that climate change did increase the odds of the storm’s record-setting rainfall.

At the same time, the infrastructure we rely on has also added to the flooding woes we’re facing today. In Houston, for example, paving over the prairie grass that used to absorb floodwaters with concrete that accelerates runoff and keeps waters aboveground contributed to Harvey-related woes. Ditto for New Orleans, which is partly located below sea level and relies on a series of levees largely built in the 20th century. And with days of rain ahead, we’re about to see if last century’s protections can keep this century’s water at bay.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declares a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Barry makes unprecedented levels of rainfall on Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.