By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather staff writer
Severe thunderstorms prompted tornado warnings and inundated downtown New Orleans on Wednesday morning, causing travel to be disrupted and forcing the closure of City Hall. The flooding occurred as a brewing tropical system, which may soon became Tropical Storm Barry, gathered strength over the Gulf of Mexico.
A flash flood emergency was declared in Jefferson Parish, with 4-6 inches of rain reported and more on the way as of 9:30 a.m. CDT.
New Orleans city officials and those with the National Weather Service urged residents to stay off the roads and to seek higher ground if they encountered flooding. An EarthCam posted in the French Quarter captured video of the city's iconic Bourbon Street under water as cars navigated the intersection and heavy rain continued falling. Between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. local time, about 5.56 inches fell in downtown New Orleans.
"Even though the most persistent heavy rain looks to be moving out of New Orleans for now, heavy downpours will still be a threat to move through at times over the coming days as the budding tropical system moves by just off of the coast to the south," AccuWeather meteorologist Jake Sojda said.
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Terrian Jones reacts as she feels something moving in the water at her feet as she carries Drew and Chance Furlough to their mother on Belfast Street in New Orleans.
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Eric Ehlenberger, a physician and neon artist, and his wife Indra Ehlenberger suffered possible tornado damage in their home in New Orleans. Part of the roof collapsed on their bed in the morning, seen here, and his wife was able to crawl out safely.
(Twitter/@Lspurge)
Man carries dog through floodwaters in New Orleans.
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Frank Conforto Jr. drives a University Medical Center (UMC) truck with the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in the background on Glavez Street in New Orleans.
(EarthCam)
This EarthCam image captured heavy rainfall flooding downtown New Orleans including the French Quarter's iconic Bourbon Street on Wednesday, July 10, 2019. (EarthCam)
(Twitter/@notgwenstefani)
A person is kayaking through a flooded neighborhood in New Orleans.
(Twitter/@notgwenstfani)
A neighborhood that is underwater in New Orleans.
(Twitter/@zackcharneco)
A street in New Orleans completely underwater on Wednesday morning.
(Twitter/@tankdabandit)
This entire neighborhood in the Upper Ninth Ward is completely underwater in New Orleans.
(Twitter/@PizzaNola)
A car stranded in flooding on Canal Boulevard in New Orleans on Wednesday morning.
(Twitter/@dylanclem58)
Roads underwater in New Orleans on Wednesday amid heavy rain.
(Twitter/@dylanclem58)
Roads underwater in New Orleans on Wednesday amid heavy rain.
The tropical threat brewing for late week and into the weekend has the potential to unleash a deluge of more than 2 feet of rain to parts of the Gulf states, which Sojda said posed a dangerous situation for the Louisiana coastline.
"This weekend looks to carry the most significant flooding threat for southern Louisiana, as what is expected to be Hurricane Barry by that time makes landfall in southwestern Louisiana," Sojda said. He added, "Areas to the east of the landfall point are expected to see the heaviest rain this weekend, with 20-plus inches possible in spots. This threat includes New Orleans."
The heavy rain on Wednesday and the approaching precipitation from the developing tropical system over the Gulf fueled flooding concerns and sparked evacuations in and around New Orleans.
Offshore oil operators in the Gulf of Mexico have already evacuated platforms and rigs, KATC reports.
A mandatory evacuation was ordered for the east bank of Plaquemines Parish starting at 6 a.m. Thursday. Parks of the west bank are also under a mandatory evacuation, spanning from the Oakville floodgate south to Venice.
Voluntary evacuations were also issued starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday, for the same areas.
Additionally, Mayor David Camardelle of Grand Isle issued a voluntary evacuation just after 3 p.m. CDT, as a precautionary measure.
According to the New Orleans branch of the National Weather Service (NWS), the Mississippi River is expected to crest at 20 feet Friday night into Saturday. Levees in New Orleans are able to protect the city from surges up to 20 feet, creating the possibility for a disaster. The NWS said officials there are coordinating closely with the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Hurricane Center and urged residents in the area to be vigilant about monitoring for updates in the coming days about potential flooding.
The NWS Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service shows the Mississippi River at New Orleans is expected to crest at 20 feet on Saturday, July 13. (NWS)
Despite tornado warnings that lasted well into the afternoon, no confirmed tornadoes were reported. However, people captured and posted to social media images of an apparent waterspout that formed over Lake Pontchartrain and destroyed a home.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a post on Twitter that police officers would ticket motorists who drive faster than 5 mph on streets with standing water and that parking restrictions on neutral grounds and sidewalks had been suspended.
"Residents are reminded not to block intersections or streetcar tracks. To reduce risk of street flooding, do not park in front of or on a catch basin," Cantrell said. Some streets were inundated with as much as 3 to 4 feet of water. Morgan Chesky of NBC News posted video on Twitter showing a deserted Dauphine Street completely submerged as traffic lights flashed on and off in the distance.
Dauphine Street under about 3-4 feet of water after a couple hours of heavy rain. #NBCNews
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The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board said that all major
More than 20,000 customers around New Orleans didn't have power as of 10 a.m. local time, according to Entergy New Orleans.
Some departures out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport were delayed to the storms. The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority said all buses and streetcars were at a standstill.
"Once the streets are clear, they will continue their routes," officials said.
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