Tropical Storm Harvey Brings Flood, Tornado Threats to Louisiana, Including Baton Rouge, Lake Charles and New Orleans

Chris Dolce
Published: August 29,2017
Tropical Storm Harvey will continue to soak much of Louisiana into midweek, raising the risk of additional flooding, while also spawning a few tornadoes.
Localized street flooding has already occurred in the state since Sunday from Harvey's bands of rain sweeping across the lower Mississippi Valley. A few locations in southwest Louisiana have now registered more than a foot of rain.
(HURRICANE CENTRAL: Full Coverage on Harvey)

Current Radar, Watches and Warnings

Harvey's circulation center will crawl northeastward just offshore from the upper Texas coast before making a final landfall on either side of the Texas and Louisiana border Wednesday. Later this week, Harvey's center will then track through central Louisiana as it accelerates.
That places Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lake Charles and New Orleans, in a firehose of moisture from southerly winds on the east side of the circulation for the next couple of days.
Of course, the concern for New Orleans is whether any slow-moving bands of rain will stall over the city as repairs continue on pumps that help protect it from flooding.
(FORECASTS: Baton Rouge | Lake Charles | New Orleans)
Heavy rain will also affect northern Louisiana, particularly Wednesday and Thursday, including Shreveport and Monore.

Projected Path

The National Weather Service has posted flash flood watches for all of Louisiana.
Additional rainfall totals of 5 inches or more are possible throughout northern and western Louisiana during the next couple of days. Storm totals, including the rain that has already fallen, may range from 10 to 20 inches in much of southwest Louisiana.

Rainfall Forecast Through Thursday

A tornado or two cannot be ruled out across Louisiana on Wednesday, as well.
Although the flood threat is the greatest concern, a tropical storm warning has also been issued for the southwest Louisiana coast.
The tropical storm warning means sustained winds of 39-plus mph are likely in the warning area within 36 hours.
Tropical storm conditions are also possible in parts of southeastern Louisiana from east of Morgan City to Grand Isle. This does not include New Orleans.
Finally, a water rise of 2 to 4 feet is possible along the southwest Louisiana coast if the peak surge with Harvey's final landfall on Wednesday occurs at high tide.

Tropical Storm Alerts

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