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| Tropical Storm Barry picks up power as it bears down on Louisiana | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Tropical Storm Barry was strengthening as it approached the Louisiana coast on Saturday. | |
| The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its 8am advisory the storm’s maximum sustained winds had increased 5mph to 70mph, with higher gusts. | |
| Barry was expected to reach hurricane strength by the time its center reached the Louisiana coast, expected before noon local time. The storm is expected to weaken after it moves inland. | |
| The storm was moving north-west at about 5mph, and a turn to the north was expected late Saturday or early Sunday. | |
| Weather forecasters said Barry could dump between 10in and 20in of rain over south-central and south-east Louisiana and south-west Mississippi. | |
| Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency for Louisiana, for the first Atlantic hurricane of 2019. | |
| Nearly 50,000 people were without power. City officials warned New Orleans residents to secure their homes, stock up on supplies and prepare to stay indoors. | |
| Barry’s maximum sustained winds were clocked at 65mph as it churned through the northern Gulf of Mexico toward Louisiana. Meteorologists warned torrential rains – as much as 0.6m (2ft) in some places – were likely to cause severe flooding. | |
| While New Orleans authorities refrained from ordering evacuations, tourism officials reported an exodus of hotel guests checking out early on Friday. Some airlines, including British Airways, cancelled outbound flights from the city on Saturday. | |
| Mandatory evacuations were imposed in flood-prone coastal areas of two neighbouring parishes south of the city. | Mandatory evacuations were imposed in flood-prone coastal areas of two neighbouring parishes south of the city. |
| A performance scheduled for Sunday by the Rolling Stones at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which served as an emergency shelter during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, was postponed until Monday. | A performance scheduled for Sunday by the Rolling Stones at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which served as an emergency shelter during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, was postponed until Monday. |
| The impending storm was widely seen as a key test of the fortified flood defences put in place following Katrina, which inundated much of the city and killed about 1,800 people. | The impending storm was widely seen as a key test of the fortified flood defences put in place following Katrina, which inundated much of the city and killed about 1,800 people. |
| Barry is expected to cross the coastline south-west of New Orleans on Saturday morning. It is forecast to reach category one hurricane strength by then, with winds of at least 74mph, the National Weather Service said. | Barry is expected to cross the coastline south-west of New Orleans on Saturday morning. It is forecast to reach category one hurricane strength by then, with winds of at least 74mph, the National Weather Service said. |
| The storm’s flood potential, rather than its high winds, posed the greatest danger to low-lying New Orleans, a city virtually surrounded on all sides by rising waters. | The storm’s flood potential, rather than its high winds, posed the greatest danger to low-lying New Orleans, a city virtually surrounded on all sides by rising waters. |
| Benjamin Schott, a meteorologist, said: “Tropical Storm Barry is a dangerous and life-threatening storm.” | Benjamin Schott, a meteorologist, said: “Tropical Storm Barry is a dangerous and life-threatening storm.” |
| Authorities were keeping a particularly watchful eye on the levee system built to contain the lower Mississippi River, which winds through the heart of New Orleans and was already well above flood stage from months of heavy upstream rainfall over the midwest. | Authorities were keeping a particularly watchful eye on the levee system built to contain the lower Mississippi River, which winds through the heart of New Orleans and was already well above flood stage from months of heavy upstream rainfall over the midwest. |
| A coastal storm surge into the mouth of the Mississippi is expected to push its crest to 5.8 metres in New Orleans, the highest level since 1950 and dangerously close to the top of the city’s levees. | A coastal storm surge into the mouth of the Mississippi is expected to push its crest to 5.8 metres in New Orleans, the highest level since 1950 and dangerously close to the top of the city’s levees. |
| The brunt of Barry was expected to skirt the western edge of New Orleans, avoiding a direct hit. But LaToya Cantrell, the city’s mayor, said 48 hours of heavy downpours could overwhelm pumps designed to purge streets and storm drains of excess water. | The brunt of Barry was expected to skirt the western edge of New Orleans, avoiding a direct hit. But LaToya Cantrell, the city’s mayor, said 48 hours of heavy downpours could overwhelm pumps designed to purge streets and storm drains of excess water. |
| “There is no system in the world that can handle that amount of rainfall in such a short period,” Cantrell said on Twitter. | “There is no system in the world that can handle that amount of rainfall in such a short period,” Cantrell said on Twitter. |
| New Orleans was already saturated after thunderstorms drenched the city with a foot of rain on Wednesday. | New Orleans was already saturated after thunderstorms drenched the city with a foot of rain on Wednesday. |
| Robert Harris, sitting on a sidewalk and polishing his trombone, said: “If it’s worse than the other day, it’d be the worst week since Katrina.” | Robert Harris, sitting on a sidewalk and polishing his trombone, said: “If it’s worse than the other day, it’d be the worst week since Katrina.” |
| Louisiana | Louisiana |
| US weather | US weather |
| New Orleans | New Orleans |
| Extreme weather | Extreme weather |
| Natural disasters and extreme weather | Natural disasters and extreme weather |
| news | news |
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