2:30 PM | Isaac continues on a track that threatens New Orleans, Louisiana

Discussion

Tropical Storm Isaac continues on a track towards the Louisiana coastline and its storm surge will likely be quite significant and dangerous along the central Gulf Coast by mid-week. The latest official measurements indicate sustained winds are holding at 65 mph with gusts up to 75 mph; however, the central pressure has dropped impressively during the past few hours down to 984 millibars and this is indicative of strengthening. In reality, it is quite possible that this tropical system is already strong enough to be officially classified as a minimal hurricane, and intensification should continue over the next 24 hours or so. It looks like landfall at the Louisiana coastline may occur later tomorrow night and torrential rain will continue into Wednesday in that region. In fact, there are some indications that the storm will slow down or stall shortly after reaching the Louisiana coast which would mean incredible rainfall amounts may be in the offing and serious inland flooding. Eventually, after moving through Louisiana, it looks like the remains of Isaac will heads towards Arkansas and Missouri before looping back to the east and potentially contributing to rainfall in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic later this weekend or early next week. The active pattern in the tropics will continue for the next couple of weeks and we’ll continue to monitor any potential threat to the East Coast.