7:00 AM CDT Wed Aug 29
Location: 29.4°N 90.5°W
Moving: NW at 6 mph
Min pressure: 970 mb
Max sustained: 80 mph

Hurricane Isaac made its first U.S. landfall along the extreme southeastern Louisiana coast at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday evening, then continued to scrape along the immediate coast.  Isaac will continue to move very slowly near the Louisiana coast Wednesday. Since Isaac is moving at a snail’s pace, the hurricane will pound the northern Gulf Coast with storm surge flooding, heavy rainfall, strong winds and possible isolated tornadoes through Wednesday.

Hurricane warnings continue for portions of the northern Gulf Coast from east of Morgan City, La. to the Mississippi/Alabama border. This includes New Orleans and Biloxi.  Hurricane watches are posted as far west as Intracoastal City, La.  In addition, a number of tropical storm warnings are in effect. For detailed maps of current watches and warnings, scroll down on this page.

You can find a detailed look at the Gulf Coast storm surge, wind and flooding threats by going to the Weather Channel at

www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/atlantic-depression-storm-nine-20120817

From BBC

Thousands of people have fled the US city of New Orleans as Hurricane Isaac makes its slow approach.

The hurricane will hit the Louisiana city exactly seven years after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but it is a much less powerful storm.

The city has closed its new floodgates in a bid to protect it from the effects of high waters brought by sustained winds of up to 80mph (130km/h).

Sea water has already breached a levee in a town to the south of the city.

Caitlin Campbell, a spokeswoman for Plaquemines Parish – where Isaac first touched down – said water was running over an 18-mile (29-km) stretch of the levee and some homes were flooded.

After hitting Plaquemines Parish, the Category One hurricane headed back out to sea, before making a second landfall further west at Port Fourchon at about 02:00 (07:00 GMT) local time.

At 06:00 local time, it was 50 miles south of New Orleans and moving inland at about 6 mph, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Isaac killed at least 24 people as it passed over Haiti and the Dominican Republic earlier this week.

It has also caused significant flooding and damage across the Caribbean and forced a day’s delay to the start of the Republican party’s congress in Tampa, Florida.

‘I feel safe’

Tens of thousands of people have been told to leave their homes in low-lying areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, though a mass evacuation has not been ordered. Storm warnings are also in place in parts of Florida, Texas and Alabama.

Officials say Isaac is likely to weaken before it reaches New Orleans.

“We don’t expect a Katrina-like event, but remember there are things about a Category One storm that can kill you,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

Of particular concern are storm surges, with peaks of up to 12ft (3.7m) forecast in parts of Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana. Rainfalls of up to 1ft 8in are forecast across wide areas, along with a high chance of isolated tornadoes along the coast.

The bowl-shaped city of New Orleans is particularly vulnerable to storms, with the centre of the city the furthest below sea-level.

But Mr Landrieu said that the 26ft-high levee gate which now protects the areas of the city that were badly flooded in 2005 had been closed since Tuesday morning.

Many residents of New Orleans have chosen to secure their homes but stay put, saying they were not too concerned by Isaac.

“I feel safe,” said Pamela Young from her home in the Lower Ninth Ward, a neighbourhood devastated by Katrina.

Coastal Louisiana & Mississippi Will Continue To Be Hammered By Isaac Today

Wednesday, August 29, 2012 6:53 am

by Rob Lightbown Crown Weather

Hurricane Isaac:
Isaac made landfall as a 80 mph hurricane during the overnight hours and is now hammering much of the Louisiana and Mississippi coastline. A prolonged period of hurricane conditions will continue through much of today across south-central and southeastern Louisiana with tropical storm conditions likely across much of the rest of coastal Louisiana and coastal Misssissippi. Additionally, storm surge issues will continue across coastal Louisiana and coastal Mississippi. I have received reports of levees being overtopped in Plaquemines Parish.

Additionally, fresh water rainfall induced flooding is likely across much of the lower Mississippi Valley from today through at least Thursday and Friday. This will be a major news story for at least the next several days.