Tropical system expected to soak the Gulf Coast. Here’s when rain is likely to arrive
A tropical system is headed for the Gulf Coast, bringing the potential for “very heavy rain” and flooding by Friday, forecasts show.
Tides could rise 1 to 3 feet as the rain continues through the weekend and “may cause areas outside levees to experience coastal flooding,” the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
The system remained in the Bay of Campeche as of Wednesday and has a strong chance of developing into a tropical depression as it makes its way northward in the coming days. Portions of southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast could see as much as 10 inches of rain, but weather officials said exact amounts will depend on “where and how fast” the tropical system passes through.
Exact timing on when it could arrive is also up in the air because “the system is still developing,” Kevin Gilmore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New Orleans, told McClatchy News.
His advice? Brace for excessive rain.
“Regardless of development, this system is expected to bring the threat of very heavy rainfall and flooding to southeast Louisiana and south Mississippi by late in the week into the weekend,” weather officials said.
The tropical system could also bring a marginal risk for severe weather including “damaging wind gusts, water spouts and tornadoes,” according to the NWS. Residents are urged to have a plan for severe weather in place.
This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 10:06 AM.