At 2:00pm EST Tropical Storm Barry is strengthening with current 65 MPH winds.  Barry is still forecast to become a hurricane shortly before landfall.  Slow movement, warm water and growing energy is a concern as Barry is anticipated to be a long duration flood event.
Extreme rains and widespread flooding are anticipated for Louisiana and the Mississippi valley area.  Pay close attention to local officials for your area.  Barry is not a concerning wind event; however, the extreme rainfall and flooding are significant concerns.

Hurricane Center – At 100 PM CDT (1800 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Barry was located near latitude 28.4 North, longitude 90.6 West. Barry is moving toward the west-northwest near 5 mph (7 km/h). A motion toward the northwest is expected to begin later today, followed by a turn toward the north Saturday night. On the forecast track, the center of Barry will approach the central or southeastern coast of Louisiana through tonight and then make landfall over the central Louisiana coast on Saturday.

After landfall, Barry is expected to move generally northward through the Mississippi Valley through Sunday. Reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph (100 km/h) with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast before landfall, and Barry is expected to be a hurricane when the center reaches the Louisiana coast. Weakening is expected after Barry moves inland.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km) from the center. The NOAA automated station at the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River recently reported sustained winds of 55 mph and a wind gust of 66 mph at an elevation of 125 ft. An oil rig located southwest of the Mouth of the Mississippi River recently reported sustained winds of 76 mph and a wind gust of 87 mph at an elevation of 295 ft. (read more)

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