Cristobal Threatens Louisiana Coast With Flooding Rains, High Winds And Surge

The central coast of Louisiana remains the consensus target of Cristobal, which forecasters expect to regain tropical storm strength as it moves north over the Gulf of Mexico to make landfall late Sunday or early Monday after it completes a disruptive spin across the Mexico coast of the Bay of Campeche on Friday.

The threats to south Louisiana include more than 10 inches of rain through Tuesday morning for New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Houma, with smaller totals farther west, according to forecasters with the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical-storm-force winds of more than 39 mph -- with top sustained wind speeds of 60 mph -- could arrive as early as Saturday evening for much of the Louisiana coast, and by Sunday farther inland.

And coastal flooding, including possible storm surge of as much as 6 feet, also is expected through the weekend.

On Thursday evening, noting the potential for Cristobal to stall over the state and cause massive flooding, Gov. John Bel Edwards issued an emergency declaration that allows state agencies to take emergency actions involving the storm and sets the stage for future federal financial relief, if necessary.