After Barry’s brief time as a hurricane on Saturday during landfall on the central Louisiana coast, the hurricane weakened rapidly on Sunday but still remains a formidable inland flood threat. The combination of slow movement and continued flow off the Gulf of Mexico is resulting in widespread inland flooding across Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, western Tennessee and southern Missouri.
Status as of Monday July 15, 2019 – Inland Rainfall
The major story with Barry’s landfall is heavy to excessive inland rainfall. The map below highlights rainfall totals over the last week, with isolated totals of 15-20 inches and large scale amounts in excess of 5 inches across the Central Southern Mississippi River Watershed and adjacent areas. Additional totals of 3-6 inches are possible over the next 48 hours before Barry’s remnants move out of the most heavily impacted areas.
7-day rainfall totals ending Monday July 15, 5AM EDT (09 UTC), Source: Riskpulse
Limited wind damage anticipated
After landfall on Saturday, Barry weakened to a tropical depression Sunday evening at 5PM EDT (21 UTC), at which time all tropical watches and warnings were discontinued by the NHC. While classified as a hurricane near landfall, NHC advisories note that hurricane-force winds were confined only to a small area east of the center, with little influence to overall impacts. Since Saturday, the sustained wind and storm surge threats diminished considerably on Sunday.
Satellite Loop of Barry at Landfall. Source: Tropicaltidbits.com.
Flood Assessment and Impacts
Flooding due to storm surge was reported along coastal areas of Louisiana and portions of Lake Pontchartrain, with most severe effects in Terrebonne Parish, and impacts also reported in Mandeville and Metairie. Flood severity will vary considerably from neighborhood to neighborhood. Power outages have been numerous and widespread along with reports of light property damage, with more moderate damage in coastal areas, especially Terrebonne Parish. River flooding will continue to be an issue for weeks to come, particularly on the Mississippi River, due to ongoing elevated river levels associated the excessive spring rainfall in the central U.S. flowing towards the Gulf Coast. Barry’s rainfall will serve to lengthen the time of river flooding, as seen in the latest report and forecasted flood levels in Baton Rouge through the end of July.
River Stage – Mississippi River at Baton Rouge. Source: NOAA/AHPS.
Sentinel updates on Barry will resume only if it poses a renewed threat to the Americas.
