Overall Southeast Louisiana is looking at similar impacts from Hurricane Delta, as the region saw with the last few hurricanes that missed making a direct hit on the region.
The National Hurricane Center has New Orleans under a Tropical Storm Watch with a forecast for some strong winds, but the rainfall potential is not a threat. Surge will be a concern outside the levee protection in Southeast Louisiana too.
The official rainfall forecast now calls for just one to two inches for the New Orleans area.
Areas outside the of the levees are forecast to see water deep enough to cover roads and vehicles close to the coast of Southeast Louisiana.
Winds are expected to gust above 40 miles per hour.
Meanwhile, closer to the forecast landfall of the eye of the storm, far more dramatic impacts are forecast... with up to a foot of rain, eleven feet of storm surge and winds gusting over 120 miles per hour.
STORM SURGE: The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide...
Pecan Island, LA to Port Fourchon, LA including Vermilion Bay...7-11 ft
Cameron, LA to Pecan Island, LA...4-7 ft
Port Fourchon, LA to Ocean Springs, MS including Lake Borgne...4-6 ft
Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas...3-5 ft
Ocean Springs, MS to AL/FL border including Mobile Bay...2-4 ft
High Island, TX to Cameron, LA including Calcasieu Lake...2-4 ft
Sabine Lake...1-3 ft
Port O'Connor, TX to High Island, TX including Galveston Bay...1-3 ft
WIND: Hurricane and tropical storm conditions will continue within the warning area in the Yucatan peninsula during the next few hours. Tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch areas along the Gulf coast by late Thursday night or early Friday with hurricane conditions possible within the hurricane watch area
by Friday morning.
RAINFALL: Friday through Saturday, Delta is expected to produce 4 to 8 inches of rain, with isolated maximum totals of 12 inches across portions of the central Gulf Coast north into portions of the Lower to Middle Mississippi Valley. These rainfall amounts will lead to flash, urban, small stream, and minor river flooding. As Delta moves farther inland, 1 to 3 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts, is expected in the Ohio Valley and Mid Atlantic this weekend.
