Tropical rainstorm to drench Gulf Coast as Northeast braces for more flooding
A tropical disturbance in the Gulf is set to dump heavy rain in the South as the Northeast braces for more flooding.
The tropical system in the Gulf has a 40% chance of developing into a tropical depression, and if it strengthens enough to a named storm, it would be dubbed Dexter.
Whether the storm is strong enough for a name or not, it'll bring heavy rain to Louisiana and Mississippi. A flood watch has been issued in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Biloxi and is expected to last until Friday or Saturday.
Three to 6 inches of rain is in the forecast. But with multiple rounds of storms and potentially slow-moving storms, 10 to15 inches of rain locally can’t be ruled out.
New Orleans officials, including Mayor LaToya Cantrell, held a news conference on Wednesday, saying, 8,000 sandbags have been delivered in anticipation of the storm, with another 50,000 expected to be delivered.
The mayor said emergency responders are "battle tested," adding, "we deliver and get the job done."
New Orleans officials said city buildings would be closed Thursday out of caution.
Meanwhile, in the Northeast, some of the areas inundated by floodwaters on Monday night are preparing for more storms moving in Wednesday night.
Flood watches are in effect in northwest and central New Jersey, Philadelphia, central and eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia.
Some of these storms could produce very heavy downpours. Rainfall rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour are possible, with rain totals climbing to 3 to 5 inches.
The heavy rain falling on top of already saturated grounds from Monday's storm is a recipe for additional flash flooding.
And in the Midwest, a tornado watch has been issued in Wisconsin, including the cities of Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee. Hail and damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph are also threats as the storms move in on Wednesday evening.
A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect in parts of Indiana and Illinois, including Chicago. Damaging winds will be the main threat for the Windy City.
