A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Louisiana coast from the Mouth of the Pearl River to Morgan City. A Storm Surge Warning is now in effect for the Louisiana coast from the Mouth of the Atchafalaya River to Shell Beach. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Mississippi coast east of the Mouth of the Pearl River to the Mississippi / Alabama state line, and for Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas including metropolitan New Orleans. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for the Mississippi coast from the Mouth of the Pearl River to the Mississippi / Alabama state line.
Tropical Storm Barry is located as of 10 a.m. CDT over the northern Gulf of Mexico about 95 miles (150 km) south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It's moving toward the west near 5 mph (7 km/h) and this motion is expected to continue today. On the forecast track the center of Barry will be near the central or southeastern coast of Louisiana Friday night or Saturday.
Reports from Air Force Reserve and NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is expected during the next day or two, and Barry could become a hurricane late Friday or early Saturday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km) mainly to the southeast of the center.
Barry is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 10 to 15 inches near and inland of the central Gulf Coast through early next week, with isolated maximum rainfall amounts of 20 inches across portions of eastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi.
The next complete advisory will be issued by NHC at 4 p.m. CDT with an intermediate advisory at 1 p.m. CDT - www.hurricnanes.gov