New Orleans Under Tropical Storm Warning As Bertha Continues Barreling West In The Gulf

[00:00:00]We have a tropical storm warning in effect, and if that isn't enough, extreme heat in Louisiana. Let's get right out to meteorologist Marissa Torres standing by. Marissa, it's the start of the day, so maybe that heat isn't exactly the story yet, but it's Louisiana. And with a tropical system Bertha just offshore, I mean, talk about uncomfortable.

[00:00:24]>> Yeah, I think if you're further north from the coast, in terms of cloud cover, you're probably not going to have a lot of it. You know, yesterday here, heat indices were already in the 90s. Uh, by the time we got into lunchtime, we had triple-digit temperatures for the heat index. Uh, you know, so the cloud cover that we have this morning, Jane, this is a huge help. Um, so we have the overcast skies. The sun came up just around 6:15, 6:30 this morning. The Mississippi River generally quiet, uh, but it's this breeze also. We've had at the airport sustained winds around 20 mph. We've had wind gusts around 30 mph, and the direction is out of the north. So, it does feel nice. It feels comfortable.

[00:01:08]Granted, it's still humid. I can't help there. Dew points are still in the mid-70s. But, you talk about the heat, and I thought it was interesting because, yes, this morning Louisiana is featuring some of the hottest heat indices in the country. I know Eugene Island in one of the top spots, but I was looking at the forecast discussion coming out of the New Orleans office, and I love how the forecaster wrote, "Abnormal tropical storm conditions."

[00:01:28]Abnormal. Conditions are putting it lightly. I, for one, have never seen tropical storm warning and a heat advisory warning at the same time frame.

[00:01:37]The one thing here along the coast, though, is because we have the cloud cover, we'll have to see if we reach that criteria for a warning, meaning heat indices around uh 115 for the extreme heat warning. Certainly, though, all of Louisiana is under these heat alerts for today. Oppressive heat yet again, but this wind should help hopefully help us out with Bertha just off the southeastern coast. We have again the winds that have already started to pick up and then we'll see, do we get into the thunderstorms? We're not really expecting much in New Orleans in terms of tropical storm force winds, which would put us around that 40 mph mark. Maybe some gusts here and there, but as Brian mentioned, we're not really getting the thunderstorms that would help usher down some of the stronger winds. So, I think today maybe clouds and mix of sun and clouds, passing shower here or there. When it comes to rainfall with those storms, maybe we pick up a quick half an inch to an inch, but tropical storm Arthur, it didn't make landfall here in Louisiana, but that brought remnant moisture that triggered flash flooding across the area because rainfall rates were around 3 inches per hour. I don't think it's going to be that bad. Arthur also triggered several tornadoes that were confirmed by the National Weather Service EF0s and I believe in EF1 in the Slidell area. So, I'm not as worried about that for today. So, then you think of all the hazards with a tropical storm. The winds, the rainfall potential, there's no flood watch for New Orleans, so that's an important note. And then you get to the coastal concern. So, I think yes, there will be erosion, there will be some coastal inundation, and maybe some of those low-lying roads, guys, that we have to pay attention to that could be covered in standing water, salt water, as we get into the next high tide cycle. But um again here, just appreciating the cool breeze and the overcast skies cuz yesterday was a tough day and today for much of Louisiana, it is all about the heat.

[00:03:22]>> Yeah, Marisa, I was reading that discussion this morning, too, the abnormal conditions. And I love how he finishes that quote by saying, "But here we are with the abnormal tropical conditions and the excessive heat." So, it is going to be interesting to see how today plays out, but I know that that heat story actually could end up being one of the the biggest impacts there across southern Louisiana. We'll check back in with you again soon, Marisa.

[00:03:46]Thanks for us live in New Orleans.