Barry drenches Gulf Coast, but initially spares New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A weakened Barry inundated the Gulf Coast but appears unlikely to deluge New Orleans as it slowly advances.
Still, Gov. John Bel Edwards on Saturday night urged residents across south Louisiana to stay "vigilant." He warned that Barry could still cause disastrous flooding across a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast overnight.
On Saturday, New Orleans had been braced for heavy rains, but instead had intermittent bands of moderate showers and occasional sunshine.
Forecasters downgraded rainfall estimates for New Orleans through Sunday to between 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters). Experts had earlier said the city could get up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain.
As of late Saturday night, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph) and was centered 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Alexandria.