The center of Hurricane Gustav is rotating westward along the Louisiana Coast this morning. The eyewall is on land. The NHC has downgraded it to a Category Two. Full advisory text to follow.
More notes…
..power is out in parts of downtown New Orleans
..no wind reports from New Orleans International, Audubon or Belle Chasse now…all reporting calm…but we know it is not calm
..14.61 inches of rain reported at Grand Isle in past 24 hours…on the Mesowest HADS platform
..live pictures from Grand Isle cam on Fox8 in New Orleans show an amazing amount of surge and wind…on Cypress Street…inland from the Gulf. Waves pounding on first floor of building. Mayor says it is a lot of flooding. Not unexpected but still impressive.
..water level at Pointe a la Hache in Plaquemines Parish 10.5 feet. This is higher than expected. Pointe a la Hache is basically the end of the road in southern Plaquemines Parish.
..a heroic effort overnight to build a makeshift levee south of Belle Chasse last night…to close holes in the levee that is under construction…we will have to wait and see if it holds…the hurricane is passing west along the coast and will dirve waters into Barataria Bay soon…
..Chauvin is in southern Terrebonne Parish…fire chief reports metal outbuildings being destroyed by winds…power is out…
…from around 5 a.m…WITHIN THE PAST HOUR…A STATION IN SOUTHWEST PASS LOUISIANA REPORTED A SUSTAINED WIND OF 91 MPH…147 KM/HR WITH A GUST TO 117
MPH…189 KM/HR…AT AN ELEVATION OF 79 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
…last pressure from recon was 956 mph at 5:11 a.m.
…CNN has a reporter in Grand Isle (what were they thinking?) He has a satellite phone and reported four feet of water at his location.
FROM NWS MOBILE
…STORM SURGE AND STORM TIDE…
AT 6 AM…TIDE GAGES AROUND THE MOBILE BAY AREA AND THE SOUTHERN SHORES OF MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES ARE REPORTING TIDE HEIGHTS AROUND 4 FEET. THE TIDE GAGES ARE INDICATING THE WATER LEVELS CONTINUE TO GRADUALLY RISE THIS MORNING. TIDE GAGE DATA ALONG THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE INDICATED WATER LEVELS AROUND 3 FEET.
MAXIMUM TOTAL STORM TIDE COULD REACH 5 TO 7 FEET BY LATE MORNING ALONG SOUTHERN MOBILE COUNTY…WITH 4 TO 6 FEET ACROSS THE WESTERN SHORES OF MOBILE BAY. ALONG THE EASTERN SHORE OF MOBILE BAY AND SOUTHERN BALDWIN COUNTY…TOTAL STORM TIDE IS ALSO EXPECTED TO BE
4 TO 5 FEET…WITH MAXIMUM TOTAL TIDE HEIGHTS AROUND 4 FEET POSSIBLE ALONG THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE. WE ARE ENTERING INTO A NEAP TIDE CYCLE AS HURRICANE GUSTAV MAKES LANDFALL TO THE WEST…SO THE ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDES WILL BE NEGLIGIBLE IN THE OVERALL STORM TIDE HEIGHT.
THE INCREASING TIDE LEVELS WILL CAUSE MINOR TO MODERATE COASTAL FLOODING ACROSS THE AREA. COASTAL FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE HIGHWAY 90 CAUSEWAY BETWEEN MOBILE AND SPANISH FORT…ALONG HIGHWAY
193 IN SOUTH MOBILE COUNTY TO DAUPHIN ISLAND…ALONG THE WEST END OF DAUPHIN ISLAND…A FEW LOW LYING AREAS ON THE EAST END OF DAUPHIN ISLAND…AND THE FORT PICKENS AREA NEAR PENSACOLA. COASTAL FLOODING CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED AROUND BAYOU LA BATRE AND CODEN IN SOUTH MOBILE COUNTY.
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS WILL OCCUR ALONG THE ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA BEACHES THROUGH AT LEAST TUESDAY DUE TO HIGH WINDS AND EXTREMELY LARGE BREAKING WAVES. RIP CURRENTS ARE LIFE THREATENING TO ANYONE ENTERING THE SURF…DO NOT ENTER THE WATER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
MAJOR TO EXTENSIVE BEACH EROSION IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR FROM THE ALABAMA/MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE TO THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA STATE LINE.
MODERATE TO MAJOR BEACH EROSION IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR FROM THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA STATE LINE EASTWARD TO DESTIN FLORIDA.
..The National Hurricane Center indicates that a tropical depression is forming about midway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles. It is likely that advisories will have to be initiated today. Another powerful wave just moved off the coast of Africa.
..Hanna is a 50 mph tropical storm over the Caicos Islands
