By Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer
By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
As power outages continued to mount across Louisiana Saturday morning, Barry strengthened into a category 1 hurricane as it churned toward the Gulf Coast, threatening millions with flooding and damaging winds.
Barry is the first hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, and would be only the fourth hurricane to ever to make landfall on the Louisiana coast in the month of July. Since record-keeping began in 1851, according to Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach, only Hurricanes Bob in 1979, Danny in 1997 and Cindy in 2005, have made landfall on the Louisiana coast in July.
Marsh Island, about 100 miles west of New Orleans, is where Barry may come barreling ashore. Residents in the region who weren't put under voluntary or mandatory evacuation were told to shelter in place as of Friday night.
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Aimee Cutter, the owner of Beach House restaurant, walks through water surge from Lake Pontchartrain on Lakeshore Drive in Mandeville, Louisiana.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
<i>Workers board up windows in the French Quarter Friday, July 12, 2019, in New Orleans, ahead of Tropical Storm Barry. The National Weather Service in New Orleans says water is already starting to cover some low lying roads as Tropical Storm Barry approaches the state from the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)</i>
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
<i>A man in a wheelchair makes his way down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter Saturday, July 13, 2019, in New Orleans, as Tropical Storm Barry nears landfall. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)</i>
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
<i>Wind blows through the trees as there was very little flooding from Lake Pontchartrain on Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans, Saturday, July 13, 2019 ahead of landfall of Tropical Storm Barry in the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)</i>
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
<i>A public works dump truck blocks the Morgan City, La., access to the Long-Allen Bridge in the background, ahead of Tropical Storm Barry, Saturday, July 13, 2019. High buffeting winds are sweeping the truss bridge that crosses over the Atchafalaya River between the communities of Berwick and Morgan City. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)</i>
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
<i>Diana Moreno carries a sandbag to her vehicle Friday, July 12, 2019, in Baton Rouge, La., ahead of Tropical Storm Barry. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)</i>
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
<i>People check out the waves on Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans, Friday, July 12, 2019, as water moves in from Lake Pontchartrain from the storm surge from Tropical Storm Barry. The area is behind a levee that protects the rest of the city. Barry could harm the Gulf Coast environment in a number of ways. But scientists say it’s hard to predict how severe the damage will be. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)</i>
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Crescent City Steaks Chef Frank Turner, left, and dishwasher Keith Brooks screw in storm protecters over the windows before landfall of Tropical Storm Barry from the Gulf of Mexico in New Orleans.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
<i>A man rides a bicycle on Canal Street Saturday, July 13, 2019, in New Orleans, as Tropical Storm Barry nears landfall. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)</i>
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
<i>As rain bands cover the French Quarter, a green strip remnant of an old Mississippi River levee is nearly submerged as seen atop the current concrete covered Mississippi River levee in Algiers Point where the unusually high river is at 16.9 feet, just under the minor flood stage of 17 feet, in New Orleans, Friday, July 12, 2019, ahead of landfall of Tropical Storm Barry. The levees protect to at least 20 feet. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)</i>
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
<i>The flood wall near the Long-Allen Bridge in Morgan City, La., continues to protect residents and area businesses as the waters rose in the Atchafalaya River, Friday, July 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)</i>
(Twitter/@LafourcheSO)
Lt. Ben Dempster, Sgt. Dave Thibodaux, and Capt. Aaron Arabie in Golden Meadow. Behind them water is washing over LA 1, which is closed to traffic.
"This is going to be a significant weather event," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards cautioned in a post on Twitter ahead of Barry's arrival. "No one should take this storm lightly." At a press conference on Friday, Edwards vowed the state was ready for impact and levees in New Orleans should withstand the floodwaters.
Even though Barry is a category 1 hurricane, people should not focus on the storm's wind speed, but instead be wary of the rain it will unleash across the region, AccuWeather forecasters cautioned.
"The lack of rainfall across Louisiana early Saturday morning should not fool residents into thinking that it's safe to venture out. Conditions are expected to rapidly deteriorate throughout the day with intensifying rain and wind as Barry makes its final approach," AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff said.
Louisiana declared a state of emergency in advance of Barry's arrival as residents and crews work to brace the city for impact. Residents were told to shelter in place by 8 p.m. CDT Friday.
This satellite image shows hurricane Barry approaching Louisiana coastline on Saturday. (RAMMB)
Voluntary evacuations were issued across New Orleans for areas that are not protected by the levees.
Every flood gate has been closed along Lake Pontchartrain due to the anticipated flooding. The city of New Orleans is not offering any sandbags, but businesses and residents have stepped up to provide sandbags for people in town. AccuWeather National Reporter Jonathan Petramala captured video of dozens of residents pitching in to fill up sandbags in preparation for Barry.
Not only have flights been delayed in New Orleans, but so has this weekend's Rolling Stones concert. Mick Jagger and the rest of the Rolling Stones were set to perform in the Superdome on Sunday, but the concert has been moved to Monday due to Barry. The date of the concert could potentially change again due to the lingering impacts from Barry.
Impacts from Barry were felt along the Florida panhandle as well. On Friday, a law enforcement officer was treated for facial cuts after a powerful wave churned up by Barry broke the windshield of a boat near Destin, Florida, about 50 miles east of Pensacola, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office Twitter page.
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By early Saturday morning, more than 65,000 customers across Louisiana had lost power, according to PowerOutages.US.
"Our greatest concern is for torrential rain that would result in life-threatening flooding," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said. "AccuWeather meteorologists expect a maximum storm surge of 3-6 feet mostly along and just to the right of the storm's path."
Storm surge began to inundate the coast of Louisiana on Friday morning as Barry gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico. AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer reported from just outside of Chauvin, Louisiana, about an hour south of New Orleans.
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay alert to any tropical advisories, watches and warnings. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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Additional reporting by Reed Timmer and Jonathan Petramala.
10 a.m. CDT Saturday: Barry is now a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches the Gulf Coast. The main threats are flash flooding, damaging wind gusts, and a few possible tornadoes.
The National Guard is in Montegut, Louisiana making emergency evacuations after a levee broke.
9:40 a.m. CDT Saturday: There have been multiple water rescues this morning. The United States Coast Guard rescued at least a dozen people along Island Road in Terrebone Parish.
Four people and a cat were rescued by a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and transported from Island Road to Houma, Louisiana, according to WKRG.
#USCG crews rescued multiple people from flooded areas this morning. Our ability to conduct rescues diminishes as the storm approaches and may be non-existent at times. Evacuate flood prone areas if safe to do so. #Barry #BarryResponse #USCGBarryResponse
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8:50 a.m. CDT Saturday: Barry is set to make landfall in the next few hours, close to Marsh Island, Louisiana. Enhanced storm surge is possible just east of center south of the Baldwin area.
The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office shared a video on twitter near the Lafourche levee showing Louisiana Highway 1 underwater.
VIDEO: View of LA 1 from the South Lafourche Levee. Video provided by Golden Meadow Police Chief Reggie Pitre. #TropicalStormBarry
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7:40 a.m. CDT Saturday: All inbound and outbound flights to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport have been canceled as as of 7 a.m. CDT. Travelers are urged to check with their airlines for updates on the status of their flights.
7:00 a.m. CDT Saturday: More than 63,000 customers are without power; which is more than double the amount of outages from Friday night.
A moderate to high risk of excessive rainfall exists across a large portion of the New Orleans region today and tonight. Rainfall totals of 10 to 20 inches will be possible.
At 6 a.m. CDT, the curfew was lifted for the City of Thibodaux, Louisiana, however officials are encouraging residents to stay off of the roads. Curfew continues for all other areas of Lafourche Parish until 8 a.m. CDT.
“Overnight deputies cleared several trees from the roads and there is much debris on the highways. Over 5,000 residents are without power this morning. We expect strong winds to continue today and torrential rainfall will begin to fall through Monday.” the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office said on twitter.
NEW: river flooding in The Atchafalaya River in Morgan City, LA as Tropical Storm Barry looms offshore! Stay tuned to @accuweather for live updates
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6:00 a.m. CDT Saturday: WWL-TV reports that the US Coast Guard is working to rescue 12 people from a remote island in the Terrebonne Parish area in Louisiana.
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport announced on Twitter that all Delta flights have been canceled on Saturday due to Barry. Frontier, JetBlue and Southwest Airlines have also canceled all Saturday flights to and from the airport.
According to NWS Mobile, waves heights of more than 10 feet have been observed by a buoy located 44 nautical miles southeast of Mobile, Alabama.
5:25 a.m. CDT Saturday: The rainbands of Barry are moving onshore in Louisiana. Landfall is expected to occur later today, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Power outages continue to rise across Louisiana, according to PowerOutage.us. More than 58,233 customers are without power, which is roughly 12,000 more than one hour ago.
A 3 foot storm surge was reported in the past hour by a National Data Buoy Center Coastal-Marine Automated Network 14 miles southeast of Burns Point, Louisiana.
"As storm bands increase throughout the morning, we remind residents to report any street flooding to 911," New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
Mayor Cantrell urges residents to stay safe, stay inside, do not move any barricades and stay ready.
4:00 a.m. CDT Saturday: The outer reaches of Barry are being felt across southeastern Louisiana and coastal Mississippi and Alabama at this hour.
A special marine warning is in effect for the coastal waters from Pensacola, Florida, to Pascagoula, Mississippi. The NWS said strong thunderstorms moving onshore could produce waterspouts and wind gusts to 46 mph.
This radar image from early Saturday morning shows Barry's outer rain bands moving into southeastern Louisiana and coastal Mississippi and Alabama.
The National Hurricane Center stated that Tropical Storm Barry is moving west-northwest at 5 mph in their 4:00 a.m. CDT update. Barry is expected to strengthen to a low-end Category 1 hurricane just prior to landfall along the central Louisiana coastline later this morning.
2:50 a.m. CDT Saturday: The number of customers without power is rising across Louisiana, according to PowerOutage.us. Over 46,000 customers are without power, which is up from 28,000 earlier Friday night.
Bands of heavy rain and thunderstorms are moving onshore across southeastern Louisiana and coastal Mississippi and Alabama. These bands can contain very heavy downpours, gusty winds and also the risk of waterspouts and tornadoes.
1:20 a.m. CDT Saturday: As Barry's rainbands begin to move onshore, the risk of spin-up tornadoes is increasing. A tornado warning has been issued for southwestern St. Bernard Parish and northwestern Plaquemines Parish in southeastern Louisiana until 1:30 a.m. CDT.
Tornado Warning including Port Sulphur LA, Pointe à la Hache LA, Hopedale LA until 1:30 AM CDT
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12:50 a.m. CDT Saturday: The National Weather Service office in New Orleans told residents to not let their guard down even though the worst impacts from Barry are slow to move onshore.
"We are sensing a great deal of impatience with the onset of impacts from Tropical Storm Barry," they said on Twitter. "Plenty of very heavy rainfall parked off the coast [is expected] to move through the area throughout the day Saturday into Sunday. Be patient and DO NOT drop your guard."
While the radar imagery is fairly quiet with the worst of Barry's rain offshore as of 12:50 a.m. CDT Saturday, conditions are expected to deteriorate across Louisiana throughout the day on Saturday.
11:20 p.m. CDT Friday: AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer reports that water is rising rapidly off Island Road in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, as Barry's storm surge begins to move in. Timmer estimates the water is 3-4 feet along part of the road.
"AccuWeather meteorologists expect a maximum storm surge of 3-6 feet mostly along and just to the right of the storm's path," Kottlowski said.
The greatest storm surge will impact most of the central and southeastern coastal areas of Louisiana.
Storm surge much higher now on Island Road in TerreBONNE Parish as the tide is now working in concert with wind. Water likely 3-4 feet deep just south down this road. Time is 10:00 pm @breakingweather @accuweather
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10 p.m. CDT Friday: Curfews will be going into effect now for Terrebonne Parish, the City of Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish and other communities. Please stay off the roads and take shelter for your safety and the safety of emergency personnel. In Louisiana alone there have been over 20,000 customers without power according to PowerOutage.US.
Barry continues to crawl at 3 mph for the Louisiana coastline as a tropical storm, hindered by dry air. When maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or greater are detected, the storm will be classified as a hurricane. But for now, the maximum sustained winds sit at 65 mph.
We are closely monitoring #TSBarry Resident safety is our top priority. @NOLAready reports gusty winds and light rains moving through the city now. Heavy rain will fall later tonight and tomorrow. Remember do not drive through flooded waters or move barricades for your safety.
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8 p.m. CDT Friday: New Orleans is now under a shelter-in-place order, and the Regional Transit Authority services are suspended in preparation for Tropical Storm Barry.
Curfews will be going into effect soon for Terrebonne Parish, the City of Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish and other communities at 10 p.m. CDT.
7 p.m. CDT Friday: Southwest Airlines has joined the list of airlines that has canceled flights in and out of New Orleans for Saturday, July 13. Cancellations and delays at the airport could continue through the weekend and into the start of next week due to Barry. The complete list of travel advisories at the New Orleans airport can be found here.
The FAA has also issued a NOTAM for drone pilots across much of southern Louisiana and Mississippi through Sunday, July 14. "Avoid flying in the area unless conducting an active disaster response or recovery mission," the FAA said on their website.
3:20 p.m. CDT Friday: Although the center of Barry and the storm’s heaviest rain is still over the Gulf of Mexico, some roads near the coast of Louisiana are already impassible due to flooding storm surge.
The City of New Orleans has called for voluntary evacuations for people living outside of areas protected by the levees. Those that do plan on evacuating should do so in the next few hours. Once the heavy, flooding rain starts, it will be too late to evacuate.
UPDATE: storm surge now making many roads south of Hwy 665 impassable including Island Rd in Terrebonne Parish, LA well ahead of Tropical Storm #Barry @breakingweather @accuweather
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The Rolling Stones have officially postponed this weekend’s concert in New Orleans' Mercedes-Benz Superdome from Sunday to Monday due to Barry. There is the potential for the date to get moved again due to the lingering effects of Barry.
1 p.m. CDT: Residents and visitors in New Orleans only have a few more hours to make their final preparations ahead of Barry's arrival. Officials have announced that everyone in the city needs to start sheltering in place by 8 p.m. CDT Friday.
Grocery stores in New Orleans are sold out of items such as food and bread as people flock to the stores to stock up ahead of Barry and the flooding that will linger in the wake of the storm.
Some flights scheduled at New Orleans Airport this weekend are already being canceled. Airlines are issuing travel advisories due to Barry. People planning to fly this weekend in and hour of the region should check with their airline before heading to the airport.
Airlines have begun issuing travel advisories for #TSBarry. Travelers may be able to change flights if travel is planned during this weather event. Links to airline travel advisories can be found at flymsy.com/traveladvisori….
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